Old Pulteney 12 Review

By Alex Noble Wednesday 28th Feb, 2018

This cracker comes from one of the most northernly distilleries on the Scottish mainland, and the extreme location and unique stills mean it’s a single malt scotch whisky that delivers both the power and the subtlety of the sea – a proper maritime malt.

We were fortunate enough to give the award winning, Old Pulteney, a try and it was really good.

“Matured wholly in air-dried, hand-selected ex-bourbon casks, the ‘unashamedly excellent’ Old Pulteney 12-years-old is the definitive expression in the Old Pulteney family.”

This unique sing malt is crafted using technique that has been long abandoned by many other distillers.

Nose

An intense combination of sweet and savoury components – the sweet being slightly more prominent. Think zest, alongside vanilla and green apples and it can be very sugary on the nose – we would advise not to leave it to air too long because it gets slightly zest.

Palate

A lot of vanilla, creamy, malty, dried fruits: golden raisins and dried apricots with some delightful marzipan and a pinch of salt – I.e. it’s a bloody taste sensation. In essence, it’s a very balanced combination of fruits with a pleasant, understated saltiness.

Finish

With this one you get a medium to long, delicate finish, which is wholesome and could be likened to buttery pastry and toasted almonds. Not far from heaven old boy.