Review – Old Pulteney 12 y/o
Old Pulteney Distillery
The Old Pulteney 12 y/o was our second #bottlekill of 2021. Originally introduced to us via the January Pour & Sip box, this whisky quickly grew on us to become a go-to shelf favourite.
Old Pulteney Single Malt has been loving nicknamed, the Maritime Malt due to the distilleries placement in the seaside town of Wick. Founded in 1826 at the height of the herring boom, the distillery has gone through a number of acquisitions, and was even mothballed after Wick became a ‘dry-town’. An old distillery with a long and established history!
1997 marked the new era for Old Pulteny with its 12 y/o being made available to an international audience. The very whisky that we are reviewing today.
First Impressions and Reflections
The colour of this whisky is really inviting, and the bottle has a unique easily identifiable shape. It looks fabulous on our shelf. Something that has been really interesting about the Old Pulteney 12 is how much it grew on us as a go to whisky. Potentially a bit maligned on our shelf due to being unpeated and less creamy than a Drumshanbo, we actually found ourselves reaching for this flavour palate more and more as time went on.
Nose: light, creamy, a touch of sea-salt, lots of fresh air, with a hint of fruit coming through at the end
Palate: lovely rounded dram with notes of white pepper. Very fresh on the palate with hints of citrus fruit
Finish: finishes on the sweeter fruity notes, with some cream coming through in the background
Nose: dark chocolate fruit and nut, hint of rum and raisin moving to fresh sea air
Palate: slightly spicy (peppery), earthy undertones with a hint of rich orange marmalade
Finish: honeycomb and the return of the fresh sea air which brings a hint of brine
You may notice the slightly higher rating in this post – as we mentioned, it grew on us!
Final Thoughts
The Old Pulteney 12 has a very accessible price point, and is often available on super market shelves – which definitely makes it less scary when the bottle is nearing it’s end! Much like a dessert wine this whisky would be a perfect end to a meal with the sweetness it provides but also catering to the savoury toothed among us, overall a real crowd pleaser. This is definitely a bottle that we will be replacing on our shelf, and introducing to friends as soon as lockdown finishes; a wonderful introduction to the world of whisky.
We’re working out which other expressions from this distillery we would like to try, so please do let us know if you have any favourites in the comments below.
The Dram Duo 