Wolfburn is named after a distillery founded in 1821 by William Smith which closed in 1837 and was briefly reopened for a year in 1852 by David Smith. Today’s distillery, which is the most northerly in Scotland excluding those in the Orkney Islands, was built in 2012, 350 metres from the ruins of the old distillery in Thurso and sources its water from the same spring after which it was named. It began distillation in January 2013. The whisky is primarily matured in bourbon casks, although on occasion sherry casks are also used.

A special edition of Wolfburn originally created for the 2020 Highland Whisky Festival, which was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, hence the word “cancelled” appearing on the label. The whisky was aged in a quarter cask, which is a small cask that matures faster due to increased contact between the spirit and the wood.