Old Pulteney 25-Year-Old Whisky Review

Scotland, Spirit Reviews, Whiskey, Whisky

I was recently sent a tasting sample of Old Pulteney’s 25-Year-Old whisky, which has been maturing in their cellars in Wick on the coast of north-east Scotland since 1994. That means it’s the same age as Harry Styles, Justin Bieber, and Tom Daley!

A row of Old Pulteney Scottish whisky bottles — A Parade of Pulteneys
*Photo: Mike Gerrard*

I was looking forward to tasting it at home, but then as luck would have it, I got the chance to visit the distillery itself, and taste it, and several other Old Pulteney whiskies, in the company of their Assistant Distillery Manager, Russell Angus.

The Old Pulteney Distillery is in Wick in Caithness almost at the northern tip of Scotland. Drive another 16 miles (26 kms) and you’re at John O’Groats, the most northerly town on the British mainland. Wick has a fascinating history, which goes back to the Iron Age and is told in the Old Pulteney Visitor Centre.

The story of the history of Wick as seen in the Old Pulteney whisky visitor centre. — In the Visitor Centre
*Photo: Mike Gerrard*

Pulteneytown

In the 19th century a new town was built on the south side of the River Wick to provide a harbour and housing for the booming herring fishing industry. The town was designed by Thomas Telford and was named Pulteneytown after Sir William Pulteney, who was a governor of the British Fisheries Society. Pulteneytown was later absorbed into Wick, but the name of Old Pulteney lives proudly on.

The distillery was founded in 1826, and for a long time was the most northerly distillery on the British mainland. What’s striking about Old Pulteney is that it is right there in the town centre. Take a turning off the main street and there you are. It reminded me of the Spanish sherry bodegas in Jerez, or the Don Julio tequila distillery in the town of Atotonilco El Alto in Jalisco, Mexico.

An old Pultnery whisky aged in Spanish oak former sherry casks — Aged in Former Sherry Casks
*Photo: Mike Gerrard*

There’s another connection with Jerez, as Pulteney uses Spanish oak sherry casks to age some of its whiskies. That’s the case, Russell Angus tells me, with their new 25-year-old expression.

‘Our 15-Year-Old and our 18-Year-Old,’ he says, ‘are both aged firstly in American oak and then are refilled into Spanish oak ex-sherry casks. The 25-Year-Old spends a lot longer in the sherry casks, maybe 5-6 years, so there’s more sherry influence, and it’s much more floral.’

Tasting glasses of Old Pulteney Scottish whisky — *Photo: Mike Gerrard*

It certainly is. As I work my way through their range of whiskies (which I’ll be writing about elsewhere), the intensity of flavours builds up until, for me, it culminates in the wonderful 25-Year-Old. On the nose it is rich and full, with vanilla sweetness, spices, and dark chocolate. It’s a real heady aroma that you breathe in, so complex and enjoyable that it almost seems a shame to stop sniffing and start sipping.

Almost. On the palate it is just as full, rich and juicy. There’s that vanilla creaminess, and those dark chocolatey flavours, and a strong spiciness that then lingers on the finish. Little wonder that when Old Pulteney releases a new 25-Year-Old expression it tends to cost in the region of £400 a bottle. You’re drinking history.

The Maritime Malt

Visit the distillery, which is just a few hundred yards from Wick Bay, and you know immediately why they call this the Maritime Malt. The smell of the sea lingers in the air, and the warehouses are constantly battered by sea breezes, and a steady dose of good Scottish rain. It works its way into the flavour profile of their whiskies, and the older the whisky the more there will be.

Rise with the Tide

Old Pulteney is celebrating its connection with the sea by starting a series of collaborations called Rise with the Tide. The first is with Doug Allan, who worked as a cameraman on the remarkable series Blue Planet, and on many other films and TV series over the years, including Planet Earth and Frozen Planet. He’s won eight Emmy awards and four BAFTAs, that’s how good he is.

You can meet Doug Allan in the first of Old Pulteney’s Rise with the Tide series, a beautiful film in which he compares the patience you need as a wildlife cameraman with the patience you need to make whisky. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Old Pulteney YouTube channel to be notified when new films in the series are released. If they’re all as good as this first one, we’re in for a real treat.