Pulteney is one of those distillery that had, until last year, lived in relative anonymity until a certain whisky writer, know for wearing a panama hat, out of the blue declared the 21yo expression from Pulteney the 'world's best whisky'...Pulteney does make good whisky and there's more than a handful of expression out there to prove that, and especially some good ones from indie bottler Gordon & MacPhail.
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, who provides a wide range of excellent single cask bottlings (and at a decent price here in Denmark, I might add) has bottled the expression I'm about to review. It was a bottling I very much looked forward to try already when I read about it in the SMWS newsletter. Eventually, I also ended up buying a bottle of it...
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| Warehouse at Pulteney Distillery, October 20th 2014 © The Malt Desk |
Old Pulteney 1997 52.19 (21.11.1997) 16yo 'Flapping sails and ship's timbers' 54,6%, refill ex-bourbon hogshead, 269 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Colour is pale straw
Nose:
Wow, really coastal - this must be what its all about when they say you can smell the sea in a whisky, I was quite surprised here :-O Lots of salt, brine, vanilla, grist, wet wood chips, stale white fruits, pot ale, freshly picked peas and white pepper.
Taste:
Vanilla freshness, lots of malt/barley sugar, sweet licorice, a little coconut and quite a citrussy edge. Also honey, pepper, salted nuts and a note of what I think it would be like licking a sea shell. More brine also and an undefined herbal note in there.
This expression really opens up with water, multiplying the already existing notes.
This is a great Pulteney!
89/100!
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