Old Pulteney 25 year | Whisky Lady

The doors to the 2024 Whisky Show opened and the throngs poured in. Our plan was to find the right calibration dram or two, and then beeline for our Dream Dram picks!

And then we spotted the Inver House stand – with two favourites Balblair and Old Pulteney. How could we resist?

We began with the Old Pulteney Coastal Series Port 46% The 1st in this series was the Pineau des Charentes 46% with the Port the 2nd.

Old Pulteney Port is the second expression in The Coastal Series. Matured in both Ruby Port Pipes and Ruby Port Barriques, which once held an iconic sweet, red, fortified wine native to the Douro Valley of northern Portugal. The sweet flavours of the wine pair perfectly with the briny notes The Maritime Malt is known for.

What did we think in our sniff & swish?

It began with a light teasingly sweet aroma – fruity with loads of apples! Nice and crisp! Followed on the palate with honey – dry yet joyful with a dash of cinnamon. And closed on a nice spice finish with a hint of salty minerals. Delicious!

And what would it set you back? Approx GBP 76.

We returned later in the day to indulge in the Old Pulteney 25 year 46%. This experience clearly fell into the category of “I can’t afford but DANG that’s good!” It was launched at GBP 500 and may be tricky to find at that price already!

Here’s what the folks at Old Pulteney have to say about it…

For a quarter of a century, casks of this rare expression of Old Pulteney Single Malt Scotch Whisky breathed the invigorating sea air of the Caithness coast. Sheltered from a fast-changing world by the darkened calm of a distillery warehouse, the spirit mellowed at its own steady pace, echoing the reassuring rhythm of its hometown port. Aged firstly in American oak, its spicy sweetness was later granted depth and colour by casks of Spanish oak. Elegant and charismatic, this wonderful whisky embodies both Wick’s spirit of endurance and Pulteney Distillery’s devotion to its craft.

What did we think?

On the nose, it started off a bit dusty yet wonderfully delicious – loads of creamy, toffee, warm tropical fruits, rich and revealing. Proudly offering a range of aromas from fruit to dark woods and much more! The palate was mouth-watering – the kind of supremely good cask management that leads to a well-rounded rewarding dram even at 25 years! It was rich, and full-bodied without being overwhelming. We were literally salivating as we rolled around the dark chocolate yuminess in our mouths. And the finish? Simply fabulous! Dry, rich, sweet.

PS… you see that sneaky hand reaching out for the pastel da nata? They were sinfully delicious! And a real draw to the booth.