Old Pulteney 2005 (Connoisseurs Choice)

This Old Pulteney was from the independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail, aged 20 year old, from 2005, drawn from cask 1680 and bottled at 56.9%. Only 534 bottles were released. Old Pulteney was built in 1826 beside the harbour at Wick in the far north; it stands among Scotland's most northerly distilleries. Robert Cumming brought the distillery back to life in 1951 after two decades silent.

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. Maturation in Oloroso sherry laid salted dried fruit over the coastal spirit. Past eighteen years the wax deepens and the maritime note turns gentle and rounded. A gentle, unhurried maturation suits the waxy, honeyed Pulteney character. Honey, beeswax and sea salt are the threads that run through the range. The distillery has worn the title of the Maritime Malt for good reason.

At a natural 56.9% it is full and oily. The Oloroso brings salted dried fruit, fig and walnut, and vanilla and a little cream from the barrel, with brine and a honeyed wax. A crisp apple and a sea salt edge lift it. The close is slow, brine over soft wax. This is a honeyed coastal malt from Caithness.