
June 5, 2018

Two surprising (relatively) new Pulteney

We’re finding more Pulteney these days, aren’t we. Last time I was in Wick that was two years ago, I have to say the little town has got a very specific atmosphere, hard to describe. The distillery too, I have to say…

Pulteney 19 yo 1998/2018 (46%, Gordon & MacPhail, Connoisseurs Choice, first fill bourbon barrel, 501 bottles)

Pulteney 19 yo 1998/2018 (46%, Gordon & MacPhail, Connoisseurs Choice, first fill bourbon barrel, 501 bottles)
A vatting of two casks. G&M have had some very good ‘licensed’ Pulteneys in the past, but this is well a new CC. Colour: straw. Nose: mashed sweet potatoes, cider apples, plantain bananas, a coastal side that may just come from… self-suggestion, and notes of kiwis and gooseberries. Some liquorice wood for sure, as well as a growing herbal side. Not quite chartreuse yet, but you get the idea… Mouth: extremely good, in my opinion. You cannot not think of a well-prepared margarita, with this wee saltiness (obvious this time) blended with limejuice indeed. No, not tequila. Green melons, a little heather honey, and all in all, a rather oily mouth feel. Finish: medium, very clean, on pretty much the same flavours. Grapefruit juice, honey, a drop of brine, a wee bit of pineapple chutney… You could think it’s Bruichladdich at times. Comments: one of my favourite recent Pulteneys. In my humble experience, and unless that would have been a superb first fill sherry cask, Pulteney’s always better when coming from ‘restrained’ wood. Well, not only Pulteney…
SGP:651 - 88 points.

Right, let’s try to challenge that bold assumption…

Old Pulteney 2004/2018 (62.1%, OB, for The Whisky Exchange, first fill sherry butt, cask #128, 612 bottles)

Old Pulteney 2004/2018 (62.1%, OB, for The Whisky Exchange, first fill sherry butt, cask #128, 612 bottles)
Monster si or monster no? Let’s see… Colour: yellow copper. Nose: Scottish bourbon, with pretty high rye content, that’s what I feel. Or, say, this could have come from Westland’s, but of course that’s no bad news at all. Marmalade and gingerbread at first, then maraschino, Nuits-St-Georges, cinnamon, Morello cherries, guignolet, Demerara rum, and just one cigar. Clearly ‘modern’ and probably kind of tuned, but frankly, that’s been made with utter care. In other words, I’m not fond of the idea, but I love the results (Dr. Freud, help me!) With water: the oak comes out. We’re at a carpenter’s on a Friday afternoon. A tad terpenic and pretty empyreumatic. Mouth (neat): extremely good. Pure gingerbread made out of 50% chestnut honey, with some ginger, molasses, caramelised pecans, and the sweetest pumpernickel. Not a kind of whisky you would have ever encountered just ten years ago, but indeed, I love it. Hate it that I love it. Okay, that’s my own problem. With water: swims greatly, which is pretty miraculous. Woodruff liqueur or syrup, try that if you can find some. Great in Champagne too. Finish: long, just a notch spicier. Cinnamon, nutmeg, liquorice, Szechuan pepper, all that. Comments: shatters my world a bit, I have to say… Not a bad feeling, actually, this could be the (good) future of malt whisky.
SGP:562 - 91 points.

Check the index of all Pulteney we've tasted so far