Old Pulteney 2011 MSWD Càrn Mòr Strictly Limited (Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers) (47.5%)

This Old Pulteney was from the independent bottler Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers at 9 year old, from 2011 and bottled at 47.5%. The outturn was 678 bottles. Set at Wick, on the windswept northeast coast, Pulteney has distilled since 1826. Robert Cumming brought the distillery back to life in 1951 after two decades silent.

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. Still young, the malt is clean and zesty with a saline tang. Long, cool ageing builds the oily texture Pulteney is known for. The make is clean and waxy, a style built over nearly two centuries by the sea. Caithness sits at the very top of mainland Scotland, exposed to the North Sea. The distillery passed through several owners before Inver House took it on.

At its natural 47.5% it is deep and honeyed. A gentle vanilla and coconut from the wood, with brine and a honeyed wax. A crisp apple and a sea salt edge lift it. It closes long, salty and honeyed. This is a honeyed coastal malt from Caithness.