Old Pulteney 2007 WAGE (Whisky AGE)

Whisky AGE bottled this Old Pulteney single malt, aged 16 year old, from 2007, drawn from cask 700732 and bottled at 55.3%. The outturn was 217 bottles. Old Pulteney was built in 1826 in Pulteneytown on Scotland's far northern shore; it still distils beside the sea at Wick. The distillery closed in 1930 when Wick went dry, and reopened only in 1951.

The spirit was drawn off the flat topped wash still and boil ball spirit still that give the make its body, and matured by the shore, where sea air works into the wood. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding only a light honeyed sweetness. By this age the waxy, honeyed core settles in over the brine. Coastal warehousing gives the malt its signature salty, maritime lift. The cool, damp Caithness air gives a slow and even maturation. Closed when Wick went dry in 1930, the distillery did not run again until 1951. Sea air works into the warehouses, a saline thread that marks the house style.

At a hearty 55.3% it carries real weight. Salt spray and beeswax sit alongside soft vanilla from the cask. A beeswax and a saline tang give it real body. A gently briny finish lingers warm. This is the salty, honeyed signature of Wick.