Old Pulteney 1990 Cask #5317

An official Old Pulteney single malt, a 18 year old coastal malt, from 1990, drawn from cask 5317 and bottled at 57.7%. Pulteney was first licensed in 1826 in the fishing town of Wick, Caithness, and it remains one of the most northerly distilleries on the mainland. It is one of the last urban distilleries, set among the streets of Pulteneytown.

Distilled on Loch Hempriggs water in stills whose shape has not changed since the 1820s, the make was then laid down by the sea for its briny, honeyed style. Ex-Bourbon casks held the spirit, soft oak that lets the coastal character lead. Past eighteen years the wax deepens and the maritime note turns gentle and rounded. Coastal warehousing gives the malt its signature salty, maritime lift. The far north cold draws a clean, bright spirit and a slow take on the oak. Casks rest within sight of the harbour that once shipped herring across Europe. The make is clean and waxy, a style built over nearly two centuries by the sea.

At a hearty 57.7% it carries real weight. A coastal salinity meet a touch of oak sweetness underneath. Soft brine and orchard fruit sit behind the sweetness. It closes long, salty and honeyed. This is Old Pulteney's classic maritime character.