[WHISKY TASTING] A Maritime Masterpiece From The Rugged North 💧
Almost at the top of the north-eastern part of the Scottish Highlands lies the small windswept town of Wick, just where the river with the same name flows into the sea. Despite the exposed location, the Gulf Stream brings warm water from the south and gives an even climate without too harsh winters. The name Wick comes from a Norse word, vík, meaning bay. Norwegian Vikings ruled over the Northern parts of Scotland for about 170 years, until the Treaty of Perth in 1266, which is reflected in the many Norse sounding geographical names.
In the early 1800s Wick had grown to become a center for herring trade, and the boom attracted more and more people. One of those who saw new possibilities was Sir William Johnstone Pulteney, who decided to build a new town named Pulteneytown on the undeveloped opposite side of the river. The population swiftly grew from 4000 to 11000, and over 1000 fishing boats crowded the waters between the two towns.
The growth also resulted in a growing demand for whisky. This led the local brewer and miller, John Henderson, to build a whisky distillery on the Pultney side in 1826 named Old Pulteney Distillery, making it the northernmost distillery on the Scottish mainland (Highland Park on Orkney is still the northernmost). Given that most fishermen consumed around half a liter of whiskey a day, it wasn't a bad idea. During the boom it around 2200 liters per day were consumed. The business flourished and when the two towns in 1902 became one single town, Wick, the distillery kept the established name Old Pulteney. I was driving in the are a few years ago, but never actually got the chance to visit the distillery. Regrettable as it might be, it's yet another reason to revisit Scotland. The surroundings are truly magnificent, with its rugged and rocky coastline interrupted by wide and desolate beaches.
The heavy drinking among the fishermen eventually led to a ban and the business was down from 1926 until 1950 when it was reopened. Five years later, Hiram Walker bought the distillery and implemented major changes; among other things they stopped to produce their own malt. Since then, the distillery has had a number of owners: Allied Breweries, Inver House and now Pacific Spirits.
With only two stills, the capacity is very small compared to most Scottish distilleries today: around 1.8 million liters per year. Moreover, around 50% of what is produced is sold to the blending industry. The standard range consists of a 12, 17, 21 and 23-year-old, as well a 30, 35 and 40-year-old that has been released in limited editions. Today they also produce a few No Age Statement whiskies with maritime sounding names, such as Navigator.
The 17-year-old is matured 90 percent of the time on bourbon casks, and the remaining 10 percent on sherry casks. The 21-year-old has rested two-thirds of the time on reused bourbon and sherry casks. Moreover, mostly Oloroso and PX sherry casks from European oak has been used for the 17-year-old, whereas instead far more dry and sharp Fino sherry casks of American oak has been used for the 21-year-old. Jim Murray, considered by many as one of the world's premier whisky connoisseurs, annually publishes his book "The Whisky Bible" which appoints the world's best whisky. In 2012 he handed Old Pulteney 21 this highly regarded award.
Old Pulteney 21 yo
I've been wanting to try this one for a long time, as I've been enchanted by the 12 and 17-year-old versions many times. Luckily my parents were kind enough to give me a bottle for my birthday yesterday.
ABV: 46%
Age: 21 yo
Region: Highland
Price: ~140 USD / 0.7L
Non chill-filtered
Appearance: Golden.
Nose: Initially I experience a rather spicy note of ginger and a distinct herbaceous touch of mint. Think a non-smoky Ardbeg. After some airing plenty of sweet vanilla, and with a few drops of water it becomes more fruity and floral. The fruitiness is on the citrus side, probably lemon. The more I air it the more it explodes of scents. Seaweed and other maritime scents mingle with heavy oak notes and cinnamon and honey. Behind it all there's a tiny mist of peatiness. A brilliant nose on this one, perhaps the best I've had all year.
Palate: The ginger and the herbaceous note of mint follows from the nose, together with lemon peel and oysters. It's a quite harsh and demanding whisky in the mouth, again like an Islay whisky without smokiness. The harshness is balanced by a wonderful saltiness, that like in many other coastal whiskies (such as the Islay whiskies) comes from the salty sea winds. Everything is affected by it; the barley, the peat bogs, the water, the casks... Caramel, vanilla and honey stands for the sweetness. But I also find hints of pineapple, apple juice and pears. Extremely dry mouth feel. I dig this, a lot.
Finish: Long, dry, salty and phenolic.
Conclusion: I'm in love. This is nothing short of a maritime masterpiece that brings me back to the rugged northern Scotland. Probably the most complex whisky of the year for me. I love that it's so harsh and demanding and fights back in my mouth. If you're a beginner, start with the much sweeter 12 or 17-year-old. A tough love affair that I can't reward with a lower score than 98/100.
First!
Haha, just kidding! I know nothing 'bout neither alcohol nor whiskey, but the photos are awesome and the post is well-written. Upvoted and followed!
Oh, and I really like that @steemswede photo with the glass and bottle. Did you drink that, if you'd like to share that piece of information with us? :D
Every single drop of it! Thanks for reading :)
Christmas is coming :-)