
November 1, 2019

Little Duos, today Pulteney

Last time I was in Wick, two years ago, I happened to think we were back in the 1980s. A true travel through time, and believe me or not, I’d swear I’ve spotted Samantha Fox somewhere near that huge pub they have in the city. As for the distillery, well you wouldn’t be surprised if you crossed paths with John Steed and, let’s be fair, rather Purdey than Mrs. Peel, let’s not exaggerate.

Old Pulteney’s another malt that, in my book, can be fantastic once properly aged (10 or 12 are enough, but not super-young NAS) and not buried under tons of oak or too STRised (remember, Shaved, Toasted, Recharred, a.k.a. the Parkerisation of whisky on the march – well, that’s my take).

Old Pulteney 2004/2019 (50.9%, OB, for The Whisky Exchange, cask #221, 246 bottles)

Colour: straw. Nose: well, as a matter of fact, there is a wee feeling of oak shavings at first nosing, but porridge and sourdough are soon to come to the rescue, as well as a pleasant coastalness that would mingle with aniseed and fresh mint. Drinking ouzo on a beach. No, not just in Greece. With water: a compote, some preserved sliced peaches and apples, a touch of flour, some custard… Mouth (neat): it’s fresh, extremely Pulteney, very much on edible seaweed and gooseberries. Some liquorice wood too, some salt and lemon, and some oaken vanilla that would behave this time. With water: more herbs and more oak spices, making it a tad gritty. I believe Pulteney have been using a lot of fresh or freshened-up oak lately, but this is not a very extreme example. Finish: medium, with a little bubblegum, tapioca, bread, jelly babies… And a little salt and grapefruit skin in the aftertaste. Comments: the cask feels a bit, but that’s the fate of many a ‘modern’ whisky. This is rather upper-echelon modern whisky, having said that.
SGP:461 - 87 points.

Pulteney 13 yo 2006/2019 (54.7%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, bourbon hogshead, 306 bottles) Pulteney 13 yo 2006/2019 (54.7%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, bourbon hogshead, 306 bottles)

Pulteney 13 yo 2006/2019 (54.7%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, bourbon hogshead, 306 bottles)

This should be more natural, more distillate-driven. That’s what I enjoy in (almost) all Cadenhead whiskies, they don’t do much botoxing. Colour: white wine. Nose: indeed they don’t do much ‘oak-doping’ but as a consequence, and that’s rather the case here, the whiskies can be rougher, more spirity, more brutal. Slivovitz, kirsch, medicinal alcohol, fig spirit (I distilled some once, and failed – miserably), then sourdough again, leaven bread… With water: loads of yeast, porridge, cow dung, hay, farmyard… Love that! Mouth (neat): perhaps not quite a nosing whisky, but on your palate it’s really talking, with heavy spirity notes once again, quite a lot of limoncello, rhubarb and more gooseberries, and then a huge herbal side, with a lot of lemongrass and just plain grass. With water: gentler, more on green apples and pears. Finish: medium, extremely barley-y. Comments: in France we used to call some wines ‘trucker’s wines’, so I would say this is rather some trucker’s whisky, but of course, you couldn’t use such expressions anymore by today’s standards.
SGP:561 - 87 points.

Bonus, some older note that I had not published yet :

Pulteney 12 yo 2006/2018 (56.3%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, bourbon hogshead, 306 bottles)

I can’t wait, this should be totally distillate-driven. And Pulteney’s distillate is great when it’s not too oak-doped. Colour: white wine. Nose: oh yes, rather distillate-driven, despite some obvious vanilla that’s coating the whole shebang. Liquid salted butter caramel, shall we say. With water: rather more grass and earth, which happens extremely often with young malts. Fresh barley, grist… Mouth (neat): extremely good, with even more salted butter caramel, sweet ale, lemon curd, vanilla cake, cappuccino, fizzy sweets… Sure it tastes young but it’s already pretty complex. With water: some butter pears coming out, pears poached in buttered wine (and why not?)… Finish: medium, bonbony. Cherries, pears… A funny salty tang in the aftertaste, this is well Pulteney. Comments: it’s still young and sometimes a little immature, but the distillate is impeccable while the wood showed restraint. Water’s not obligatory.
SGP:551 - 85 points.

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

October 2019

Serge's favourite recent bottling this month:
Glen Grant 62 yo 1956/2019 (51.7%, Gordon & MacPhail, Mr George Centenary Edition, first fill sherry butt, cask #4455, 235 bottles) - WF93

Serge's favourite older bottling this month:
Aberlour-Glenlivet 8 yo (50%, OB, Rinaldi, Italy, 1960s)- WF93

Serge's favourite bang for your buck this month:
Highland Park 10 yo ‘Viking Scars’ (40%, OB, +/-2019) - WF90

Serge's favourite malternative this month:
Neisson 2003/2018 (46.1%, OB, Martinique, agricole, #4 hippocampe, 95 bottles) - WF91

Serge's Lemon Prize this month:
Fuji Gotemba ‘Kunpu 2016’ (40%, OB, blend, 4800 bottles) - WF69