An Old Pulteney extravaganza through the decades
Quite a few of my whisky friends adore the output of the Pulteney Distillery in Wick. I never really caught the bug, but always enjoyed a good glass of the northern Scottish site when it was presented to me. On a big tour through Scotland in 2007, we rounded the entire north of the country, starting in Mallaig, via Talisker, the Inverewe Gardens and Ullapool, past Stoer Point all the way up to the desolate Durness. There, in the absolute north, you follow the coast towards Thurso, before ending up in Wick. We slept there for two days, if I am not mistaken, and visited John O’Groats and looked out towards the Orkney Islands. I still have to visit that remote location, the holy grail that is the Highland Park Distillery is still missing from my list.
Wick is the home of the Pulteney Distillery, but sadly it was closed for touring in the days we passed by. I remember being very sad, really wanting to see the peculiar stills with the flat top, like the ones you will find at Rosebank and Cragganmore too. Maybe this incident kept the flame of my love for Pulteney small, even though our stay in Wick was absolutely memorable, with fantastic food experiences in our B&B and a local restaurant. A quaint little town it is, worth your time! In the meantime, let us taste some mature Old Pulteney expressions.
Old Pulteney 31 years old, 1984 – 2015, bottled at 46 % abv by Gordon & MacPhail
First things first: A special expression of 134 bottles for the Mackays Hotel in Wick, hometown of the Pulteney Distillery. The entire output came from cask # 10170. We are guessing this was a bourbon cask, and this is why we put it ahead of the 1983.
Upon Sipping: Vanilla fruity scents rising from the glass, mixed with more exotic fruits when you give it a little breather. Mango, papaya, peach syrup from a can. It is all there, but is not screaming in abundance, more subtle, modest and very elegant. Underneath it all there is a whiff of sea breeze, making this quintessentially Old Pulteney. On the palate, the modesty continues, with all the aforementioned impressions, mixed with spicy, almost hot wood notes. Slight hints of bitter, clove maybe, some dark chocolate, with a nice, soothing finish. With water, it becomes more talkative, with some oranges added to the fold. A very stately old dram, this Pulteney 1984.
Word to the Wise: At times, it seems to miss that extra gear to go over the 90-points mark, but the mouth is full of delicious fruit, so this is a bottle to look out for.
Score: 89 points
Old Pulteney 33 years old, 1983 – 2017, bottled at 46 % abv
First things first: Matured in bourbon casks, then finished in oloroso seasoned Spanish oak casks. Probably a bigger batch, since there is also a version for the American market.
Upon Sipping: Beautiful dark bronze golden colour, suggesting the finish was extensive. Sticking the nose in the glass, we can immediately confirm this. Typical sherry notes of cigar and old wood. But in the distance we can also still notice the initial bourbon maturation, that made a slight fruity impact not unlike the purity we found in the 1984 we tasted before. Eventually, the aroma settles on chocolate covered strawberries. Very nice. Taking a sip, the palate feels a little fragile, but the tastes of delicate wood mixed with all kinds of red fruits is very enjoyable. On the finish, the wood makes a strong mark, without getting too bitter. If you like dark cacao at high percentage, this is the one to go for. In the end, however, I do feel the sherry finish has snowed under some of the more maritime elements that Old Pulteney generally displays. With a drop of water, some of that is released though, but you really have to go looking for it. Some bitterness is washed away, leaving more wood notes that gives off hints of liquorice.
Word to the Wise: Very well composed, and stays away from becoming a one trick pony going all in on the sherry influences. You have to play around with time, oxygen, water and maybe warming the glass with your hands, and then you will be rewarded with true Old Pulteney character.
Score: 90 points.
Old Pulteney 18 years old, 1970 – 1988, bottled at 56 % abv by G&M for Sestante
First things first: We finish off this session with a return to Gordon & MacPhail, but this bottling was done for Sestante in Italy. A legendary name of course. Bottle code is SD522.
Upon Sipping: We have properly warmed up, now we go back another decade, lower the maturation time and up the abv. Bring it on! Yeah, this is indeed a fighter in the glass, that opens with a punch straight on your nose fuelled by gasoline. Strong hints of cow stable. With time, this develops into a somewhat smoky saltiness. Wick was once the herring capital of Europe. Some of the essence of the fish might well have slipped into this expression. Upon repeated sniffing, I cannot help but thinking of a nice grappa. No wonder this whisky made it to Italy. There appears to be some iron in the sky here too, and I am not quite sure if this belongs to the whisky, or the fact this Old Pulteney was bottled 37 years ago. Some Old Bottle Effect might have thrown this malt off course.
On the tongue, the Old Pulteney suffers under the raw power of the alcohol, and there is indeed a metallic note that can only be ascribed to OBE. Some yellow melons and soft citron make for an interesting comeback, but we cannot escape the notion this Old Pulteney underperforms. With water it turns more sour. Slightly austere finish.
Word to the Wise: You can notice this is old stuff, and 1970 is indeed a vintage on the brink of golden years for Scotch single malt, but this austere Old Pulteney breaks under pressure. Still, there is enough interesting to be found in this glass of single malt whisky, but more for dissecting than truly a recipe for an enjoyable drinking experience.
Score: 86 points.
Geef een reactie