Old Pulteney, Wick, used to be the most northerly distillery on the Scottish mainland and has produced whisky for over two hundred years. Founded by James Henderson in 1826 and at the time only readily accessible from the sea with the whisky being shipped out by herring fishermen. Given the number of fishermen and pubs, the town was considered rowdy and became dry in 1920 with all the pubs closed, and in 1930 the Pulteney distillery followed suit. Production ceased until 1951 and rather surprisingly it was not until 1997 that the 12 year old from the core range was produced and probably has been a favourite of mine ever since.
Today it is marketed as “The Maritime Malt” and Wick can be accessed by train and car. With an unmistakable coastal character achieved by maturation occurring on site, meaning casks are exposed to high humidity and the sea air.
Pineau Des Charentes is a sweet fortified French wine drunk as an aperitif and produced in western coastal areas of France. The whisky started life in ex-bourbon casks and the distillery is being tight lipped on how long the finish was. Whatever the length of time spent finishing in the Pineau casks the result is a very mellow whisky with any rough edges having been well rounded.
Tasting notes
- Colour: Golden honey
- Legs: thinnish but apparent
- Nose: Raisons, Balsamic vinegar, honey and vanilla
- Palate: chewy texture, oaky, nutty and some caramel and spice
- Finish: long, nutty caramel and coastal notes with a sweet dryness
- Score: 4.5 out of 5
This is a stunning expression, well balanced and extremely good value for the price. Intriguingly which element of the nose, palate and finish came to the fore varied with each nose and sip. Comparing my tasting notes to the official ones, I’m not far off. I can see candied oranges as part of the palate, but I struggled to detect any brine except in the finish. I definitely liked this and have already bought another bottle.
