We take a quick break from the blends from old times (part 1 and part 2 are here if you haven’t read them yet), because it’s been two years already since our first and last Old Pulteney review, and I have a promising pair in my sample drawers. So let’s do some catch-up with an Old Pulteney Distillery Exclusive from a couple of years ago, and a 26-year-old released at first for Travel Retail.
Old Pulteney Distillery Exclusive (2023) Review
We start with an Old Pulteney Distillery Exclusive, which was launched in January 2024, as the Wick-based Highland distillery’s first-ever distillery-exclusive single malt, sold only at Pulteney Distillery itself and via Old Pulteney’s online shop. It carries no age statement and underwent dual maturation: first filled in American oak casks, then further matured in French oak. Distillery manager Malcolm Waring hand-selected the casks for this limited release, bottled non-chill-filtered at 53% ABV – notably higher than the core range’s standard 46%. This Old Pulteney retailed at £85 to £88 but is now discontinued.
Colour:
Rust.
Nose:
Neat: The nose is rich and a bit winey, with deep sweetness: caramelised apple, blackcurrants, warm custard, and cinnamon-spiced pastries, moving toward fresh rye bread, bright oranges, stone fruits, and oak dryness. The alcohol is not well integrated: the nose feels stronger than its ABV, with some solvent and sharpness. The coastal character is hidden behind the oak influence.
With water: Reduction brings more soft spices (cinnamon, baking spices, Moroccan spice pix), orange oil, and a little wood smoke of a dying fire.
Palate:
Neat: The palate shows sweetness, wine and spices at first: toffee, nutmeg, and caramelised popcorn envelop the palate, developing into rich blossom honey, blackberries, blackcurrants and cherries, roasted almonds, and creamy vanilla. Some citrusy tartness and bitter oak give way to salted caramel, honey cereals, and ivy. The mouthfeel is medium-bodied and silky.
With water: Reduction brings more spices again, but sharper ones: pepper and ginger, making the palate slightly prickly. A bit more tannic as well.
Finish:
Spicy with lingering honey, giving way to a tannic dryness and dried black fruits. Blueberry infused dark chocolate and corn flakes, for a finish medium in length.
Comments:
I cannot but regret the French oak cask second maturation, as it completely covers the Pulteney character, overwriting the coastalness. The French oak is unfortunately too loud and tannic, and this whisky feels unbalanced. I wouldn’t bother to look for a bottle. Just give it a taste if you visit the distillery and that is still available, but do try it before buying a bottle if it is.
Rating: 6/10
Old Pulteney 1990 Travel Retail (2017) Review
This Old Pulteney 1990 was launched by World Duty Free in partnership with Heathrow Airport in October 2017 as a 26-Year-Old Vintage Cask travel retail exclusive, available only at World of Whiskies and World Duty Free stores across all Heathrow terminals through January 2018. The whisky was matured across American ex-bourbon casks and ex-sherry Spanish oak casks, and finished in ex-Laphroaig casks, giving it a distinctive maritime-meets-peat character layered onto Pulteney’s classic coastal profile. It was bottled non-chill-filtered and without added colour, at natural cask strength of 46% ABV, in a 700 ml bottle, with an RRP of £288. Two German shops still list this release, at €350 and €400. Check Pyrmont Whisky first, as it’s the cheapest out of the two.
Colour:
Rust.
Nose:
Neat: Very maritime and salty, with yeast, sourdough, and full of citrus and orange aromas, alongside the bitterness of lemon peel. Toffee and vanilla sit in the background, with a touch of sourness tending toward turpentine or solvent, while delicate smoky bacon flashes intermittently alongside roasted pine nuts and pistachios.
Palate:
Neat: The first impression is fruity sweet with a maritime smoky flavour – mandarin, honeydew melon, ginger, and fresh herbs – with the peated cask influence immediately present: spicy, dry beech wood, a hint of olive oil, and vitamin-like sweetness, all absolutely interwoven with a salty and smoky character. Brown sugar dusted above strawberries, and a nice mentholated touch.
Finish:
Notably long, extending the fruity, maritime and smoky profile established on the palate, with the menthol really lingering and adding a welcome freshness.
Comments:
Luckily, this Old Pulteney 1990 for Travel Retail has nothing to do with the Distillery exclusive: this time, we have a significant age statement instead of the lack of any age statement, and a way more balanced ‘cask bill’: the Spanish oak and ex-Bourbon casks from the main maturation period work very well together, and the ex-Laphroaig finish does not feel dissonant at all, with a lovely smoky and slightly medicinal touch that works very well. Lovely dram