Old Pulteney 2004

A distillery bottling of Old Pulteney matured to 10 year old, from 2004 and bottled at 46%. Established in 1826 at Wick, on the windswept northeast coast, Pulteney is the maritime malt of the far north. Inver House has made it the centrepiece of its single malt range since 1995.

It was run through the unusual stills, the wash still topped flat where the swan neck was cut, before resting in warehouses within sight of the harbour. A refill American oak cask held it, keeping the maritime malt to the fore. Younger here, it keeps a crisp, coastal freshness over light honey. The northern cold draws out a slow, even maturation and a clean, bright spirit. A faint salinity threads the honey, the mark of long coastal maturation. Sir William Pulteney gave his name to the planned town that grew around the harbour. The spirit carries an oily weight unusual among Highland malts. Wick's herring fleet once numbered in the thousands at the height of the boom.

Reduced to 46%, it is mellow. A gentle vanilla and coconut from the wood runs under a salty maritime note. It is rounded and deep, the maritime note woven in. The finish runs oily, saline and warm. This is a far northern malt shaped by sea air.