A stock favourite of mine, Old Pulteney, is about to refresh its line up… but ahead of the full reveal they have a competition running to win one of the first 100 bottles!
Fancy entering? Then read on for the press release…
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So I’ve reviewed many of the Old Pulteney, anCnoc and Balblair range, but I’ve missed these two gems out of the list, so without further ado let’s remedy that!
Old Pulteney 17yo – 46% abvInfo: “Aged in both American and Spanish oak casks, the mid-range Old Pulteney 17 Year Old strikes the perfect balance between maturity and distillery’s signature coastal style, winning hearts of whisky enthusiasts the world over.”
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Old Pulteney Flotilla 2005 – 46%abvInfo: The release is limited to 12,000 bottles that have been matured in American oak ex-Bourbon barrels. It follows the launch of Flotilla 2000 and Flotilla 2004.
Colour: Light straw gold.
Nose: Light, slight ozone hints; the coastal nature maybe. A creamy bourbon background with a hint of nuts. After some time the nuts disappear leaving a sweet caramel tone.
Palate: Lighter and much sweeter than expected (in a good way), medium oils with ground spices that grow after a while. Gentle fruits with almost a white wine quality. Salted caramels.
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Recently there was a press trip to various Inver House Distillers Ltd distilleries, and being the kind folk that they are they had noticed I was on holiday in Inverness for the week and so invited me up for the day to join in the fun at Old Pulteney distillery, lucky me!
I didn’t have to be asked twice, I immediately hired a car and when the day came enjoyed the 2hr+ trip up north along the coast… as with most driving in Scotland the time flew by because the scenery is so amazing.
Old Pulteney 1990 / 23yo Vintage – 46% ABVInfo: The whisky was matured in American ex-bourbon and Spanish ex-sherry casks which previously held heavily peated whisky, resulting in a lightly peated Old Pulteney. Non-chill filtered. Around 5,400 bottles.
Colour: Polished amber.
Nose: The nose is escaping from the glass before I’ve even properly got to it! It’s malty, earthy, and there’s a backnote of smoky peat. It’s sweet and tempting, getting sweeter as time goes on with some green apple and honey notes.
Old Pulteney 35 Year Old – 42.5% ABVInfo: The limited edition 35 year old was matured in American ex-bourbon and Spanish ex-Sherry casks and selected specially for this release by Old Pulteney distillery manager Malcolm Waring, bottled without chill-filtration.
Colour: Medium to dark amber gold.
Nose: Packed with an evening full of relaxation in front of the fire. It’s slightly waxy, it’s old, leathery. There’s aged slightly ripe citrus fruits, banana and red apples along with brown sugar, honey and gentle woods. Amazingly good, keeps you smelling for ages. After a while milk chocolate tones come out.
Tonight (14th Aug 2013) we’ve been reviewing three new Old Pulteney’s in their NAS Lighthouse series via a Twitter Tasting (i.e. a bunch of us on Twitter use the hashtag #OldPulteney to discuss these drams as a group).
The three new expressions showcase the Old Pulteney coastal style from three different maturation angles. The whiskies Pulteney Distillery’s maritime heritage by celebrating prominent local lighthouses – Noss Head, Duncansby Head and Pentland Skerries… all drams at 46%, they’re non chill-filtered and not coloured – always a plus with whisky enthusaists. These are all released into the travel retail market, which means you’ll be hard pressed to find them in most shops, and will generally only find them at airport duty free shops. However with reviews below in hand you’ll know what one(s) you may want to grab if you find them!
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