Old Pulteney 1989 / 2015 Lightly Peated Limited Edition 46% vs Old Pulteney 15 yo 1982 Millennium Single Cask #1522 61.1%
Old Pulteney 1989 / 2015 Lightly Peated Limited Edition 46%
Only half trying to be lame, but there’s really something old in Old Pulteney that lingers on, and this one reminds me of Campbeltown! It’s a phenolic-but-not-quite mix of engine oil, thin smoke, dirty metal tools, dank corners of dunnage warehouses and salt (oh quite a tangy one). Dried up mud bricks full of broken roots and old ginger powder that’s gone a bit clumpy. Only now do I realize this one is ‘Lightly Peated’ and matured in barrels which held peated whisky. Waxy unripe oranges, and new plasticine. Great nose and nice little zesty bits do come through on the tongue but sadly it turns anaemic on the palate soon after. Dissipating quicker than bothy smoke off the very blowy Caithness coast.
Old Pulteney 15 yo 1982 Millennium Single Cask #1522 61.1%
Well at this strength, expectedly quite immense, though by comparison this does seem much less earthy phenolic. Instead be met by a wall of those machine oils, rock salt and gritty sandy seawater, and also piles of bruised fruit that’s just taken a step down the path to decomposition. Some nutmeg balm, used frying oil, raw resins and WD40 too. Very characterful. Dry but oily citrus zests and salt on the palate, trampled hay, machine oil, canvas sheets. One might say quite some soul here still. That it is not a more popular distillery than it is mystifies me.
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