Old Pulteney (85 proof, Cadenhead, 1960s)
Colour: palest of pale white wines - almost new make. Nose: raw, pure and completely unvarnished distillate. Totally in this style we often like to call 'barley eau de vie', which is to say everything here is about the DNA of the distillate. Brining to mind all sorts of things like oily sheep wool, mechanical rags, tool boxes, heather flowers, old ink wells, carbon paper and bone marrow. Greasy, oily and weighted with a sense of texture and body. There's also a metallic edge to it, rather like metal polish, soot and a few old coins, which I would say is more an aspect of old bottle effect. A wonderful and emotional nose. Mouth: perfect, raw, pure and evocative distillate. Natural barley sweetness alongside paraffin, waxed hessian and impressions of chalky beach pebbles and white coastal flowers. This inherent oiliness and weight in the mouth is most impressive, really now on olive oil, ink, bread starter and old school bitter ales. Bare bones, back to basic ingredients whisky. Finish: perhaps a tad on the short side but still showing some lovely wee coastal elements, peppery watercress warmth and this lovely glowing, waxy aftertaste. Comments: being honest, I suppose there's an element of disappointment as I had hoped for a total knockout old glory with this bottling. But having said that, it is clearly a very youthful, humble dram, an almost raw snapshot of old style distillate that's feels invisibly pecked by wood. What's great is that it displays wonderful directness of flavour, terrific body and a whole heap of charm. Old style but still showing some heartening nods towards today's younger Pulteneys.
SGP: 462 - 90 points.

Old Pulteney 15 yo 1974/1989 (57.6%, Gordon & MacPhail for Intertrade, 288 bottles)
An old bottle with a big reputation. Colour: pale gold. Nose: essentially this is a G&M CASK profile. Big, sappy, mineral and peppery on the nose with impressions of hot leather strop, sandalwood, dried out beeswax and honeycomb. There's also a totally superb and almost elusive saltiness running right between everything. Petrol, honey, sea air and the faintest of phenolic and medicinal touches. This nose is brilliant, brimming with coiled power and totally beautiful! With water: opens beautifully onto a wine and generous profile that includes many beers, honeys, herbal teas, bouillon broths, umami and salty vibes and rather chunky impression of waxiness. Mouth: great arrival, all on salted honeys, aged meads, bitter heather ales, pumpkinseed oils, mechanical touches, herbal wines, cough medicines and natural tar. Feels like there is some peat involved deep, down in the basement levels of this distillate somewhere. A fat, slathering texture that sticks to the teeth and leaves some wonderfully tingling saltiness. With water: what's great is that it manages to feel both relaxed, big, open and generous in its flavours and textures, while at the same time giving this impression of taut, controlled salinity and precise power. Hugely impressive whisky that manages to feel both technical and soulful. Finish: long, lingeringly waxy, beer, salty, herbal, medicinal and persistently big and 'fat' all the way into the distance… Comments: When they are on form, these old school western and eastern highland malts are just unstoppable. This gorgeous Pulteney just oozes effortlessness, class and beauty. I really adore the way it manages to feel so big and powerful without leaning on any one extremity of flavour, like peat for example, it manages to achieve this power with nuance and balance. An overall style which feels as though it has been pretty absent for a long time now, but I think there's quite a few new distilleries which inspire a lot of hope for the future. Anyway, great to try this one formally at last.
SGP: 463 - 93 points.