Old Pulteney 2008 (Signatory) (56.2% Europe)

Bottled by Signatory Vintage, this Old Pulteney matured to 13 year old, from 2008, drawn from cask 2 and bottled at 56.2%. A release of 682 bottles. Established in 1826 at Wick, on the windswept northeast coast, Pulteney is the maritime malt of the far north. Water comes from Loch Hempriggs, carried by a lade Thomas Telford laid in 1807.

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. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, the backbone of the Pulteney style. By this age the waxy, honeyed core settles in over the brine. Long, cool ageing builds the oily texture Pulteney is known for. 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 cask strength 56.2% it is muscular and oily. A gentle vanilla and coconut from the wood, with a briny, oily edge. It is clean and bright, the coastal salt lifting the honey. A waxy, coastal finish lingers long. This is a coastal Highland malt from the edge of the country.