Miniature bottles of whisky are difficult to find in Korea, so when I was in Japan last autumn I grabbed as many as I could find from Yamaya Wine, a chain of huge alcohol shops dotted across the Japanese mainland (on a side note, I freakin' love Yamaya. Amazing prices and huge selections!). One of those miniatures was a small, potstill-shaped bottle of Old Pulteney 12, a 12 year old expression from an almost 200 year old distillery of the same name. Hailing from the town of Wick in Caithness, the northernmost county on the Scottish mainland, Old Pulteney is Scotland's 4th most northerly distillery, with only Highland Park, Scapa and the newly reopened Wolfburn being more remote. Originally opened in 1826, it has seen its fortunes rise and fall then rise again, with its darkest period being in the 30s, when the town of Wick decided, in a deranged zeal fueled madness (Early 20th century Scotland unfortunately had its...issues...) to implement prohibition and effectively kill the distillery. After WW2, the town came to their senses and repealed the ill-thought-out laws; and as a result, the distillery was reopened and allowed to flourish once more.
Old Pulteney's malts have a reputation for being some of the most maritime in character of all single malts and this is reputedly down to the interaction between the whisky and the saline sea air while maturing in casks.
On the subject of casks, the 12 year old expression is entirely matured in ex-bourbon wood. I should also note that this bottle is from before the redesign and I don't know if the "juice" inside has been altered along with the brand redesign. Sometimes it happens with whisky, sometimes it doesn't.
Vitals:
ABV: 40%
Colour: Gold
Chill-filtered: Yes.
Nose: A gusty breeze of sea salt and wispy smoke assaults the nostrils, followed by aged honey, apples, a touch of brandy and ground aniseed. The smoke remains present in the background, along with a touch of cracked black pepper, giving it a mildly spicy edge.
Palate: Sea salt leads again, partnered with astringent oak tannins giving a salty and dry mouthfeel . The saltiness is particularly strong throughout, but behind it lies some interesting notes of licorice candy, apples and vanilla cream. As it closes in on its finish, a herbal note reminiscent of perilla leaf appears, bringing with it a mildly spicy, mildly bitter note than carries through to the end
Finish: : A trifecta of herbal mint, wood spice and sea salt carry though to the end, for a medium length finish.
Conclusion:
The Old Pultney 12 lives up to its reputation as a maritime malt with an intensely salty bite that is matched by few other whiskies It is practically a "salt bomb". Despite this, it isn't overpowering and I was able to parse out lighter, more effervescent flavours hiding behind the salt. It punches above its weight and even at only 40% it was as densely packed with flavour and character as stronger whiskies.
한국어 시음평:
향: 바다 소금, 약한 스모크 → 꿀, 사과, 브랜디, 아니스, 후추.
맛: 바다 소금, 오크, → 소금, 감초 사탕, 사과, 바닐라 크림 → 깻잎, 민트.
끝맛: 민트, 우드 스파이스, 바다 소금. 피니시가 중간 길이에요.
결론: 소금 폭탄이예요. 하지만, 소금 뒤에 느껴지는 맛은 굉장히 복합적이에요.
Review by Glasgowhisky
2020/11/21
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