Old Pulteney 21 Years Old (46%)

An official Old Pulteney single malt, aged 21 year old, from 1983 and bottled at 46%. Old Pulteney was established in 1826 in the herring port of Wick on the Caithness coast; it stands among Scotland's most northerly distilleries. Robert Cumming brought the distillery back to life in 1951 after two decades silent.

Distilled in Pulteney's distinctively shaped copper stills on soft Loch Hempriggs water, the make was then aged beside the North Sea for that maritime edge. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, the backbone of the Pulteney style. Past eighteen years the wax deepens and the maritime note turns gentle and rounded. Refill oak holds back its sweetness, letting the distillery's coastal character lead. It is one of the last true urban distilleries, set among the streets of Pulteneytown. Inver House has built its single malt range around the distillery since 1995. The honeyed, waxy core is the signature of the maritime malt of the far north.

Reduced to 46%, it is mellow. The refill oak lending a light vanilla, with sea salt and a coastal tang. The mouthfeel is oily, the honey carried on a waxy body. Sea salt and honey see out a long finish. This is a honeyed coastal malt from Caithness.