Old Pulteney 23 Years Old DeDr Decadent Drams (Decadent Drinks)

Single malt Old Pulteney, an independent Decadent Drinks bottling at 23 year old, from 2002 and bottled at 57.2%. The outturn was 176 bottles. Set at Wick, on the windswept northeast coast, Pulteney has distilled since 1826. Inver House has made it the centrepiece of its single malt range since 1995.

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. Ex-Bourbon casks held the spirit, soft oak that lets the coastal character lead. Past eighteen years the wax deepens and the maritime note turns gentle and rounded. Time in oak builds a honeyed weight over the fresh, briny new make. Robert Cumming reopened the silent distillery in 1951 as demand for whisky returned. Old Pulteney is matured within sight of the harbour that gave Wick its name. The far north cold draws a clean, bright spirit and a slow take on the oak.

At a natural 57.2% it is full and oily. A gentle vanilla and coconut from the wood runs under sea air, citrus and salt. Beneath it run honey, citrus and a waxy weight. It closes long, salty and honeyed. This is a far northern malt shaped by sea air.