Old Pulteney 1997 Cask #1082

This Old Pulteney, an official release,, a 21 year old from 1997, drawn from cask 1082 and bottled at 53.1%. 207 bottles in all. Pulteney, first licensed in 1826 beside the harbour at Wick in the far north, Inver House has run it as a flagship malt since 1995. For years it was the most northerly distillery on the Scottish mainland.

The spirit was made in copper stills of singular shape, fed by soft northern water, and matured on the Caithness coast for a salty lift. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, the backbone of the Pulteney style. Long ageing brings an oily depth, dried fruit and a mellow coastal salt. Long, cool ageing builds the oily texture Pulteney is known for. It is one of the last true urban distilleries, set among the streets of Pulteneytown. Inver House has built its single malt range around the distillery since 1995. The honeyed, waxy core is the signature of the maritime malt of the far north.

At a natural 53.1% it is full and oily. Vanilla and a little cream from the barrel runs under salt spray and beeswax. A beeswax and a saline tang give it real body. The finish is deep, oily and maritime. This is a briny, oily dram from the North Sea coast.