Old Pulteney 18 (The Maritime Malt)

Old Pulteney 18 (The Maritime Malt)

Region: Highlands

ABV: 46.0%

Price: £129.95

Something a little different today as we turn our attention to the Old Pulteney core range. The 18 year old was matured in refill ex-bourbon casks before a finishing period in Spanish oak. It’s bottled at 46%, non-chill filtered, and natural in colour. This was one of our first whiskies, so we’re excited, but also a little apprehensive, to revisit a recent bottling.

Nose

Coffee sponge cake and a light pepper spice lead the way on the nose, followed by Rice Krispies, orange marmalade, proving dough, and butterscotch. The alcohol is well integrated, only showing through as that gentle pepper spice. With time, notes of Caramac bars, maraschino cherries, burnt brown sugar, cola, and toast emerge. Overall, a pleasant and well balanced nose.

Palate

The flavours on the palate largely mirror the nose, orange rind, cherry cola, raspberry jam, and dark chocolate. There’s a light peppery spice and a hint of something we’d like to call cigarette ash, with sea salt emerging on the finish. The finish is a good length, and the mouthfeel is solid for the ABV. Personally, we’d have guessed this was closer to 48%.

Nose (with water)

Still quite sweet, those coffee cake and butterscotch notes persist, but there’s now a savoury edge to the nose, most noticeable as hand-cut crisps. With patience toffee and chocolate coins also come through, along with a hint of that ashy note from the pre-diluted palate and some cherries. That said, the newer, post dilution notes don’t quite have the same impact as those before dilution.

Palate (with water)

The palate has more dark chocolate now, alongside blackberry jam. Surprisingly, the mouthfeel has improved, gaining a touch more texture and weight. There’s a little added bitterness from the dark chocolate appearing on the mid palate, but it works for us. The finish remains a good length, but with a bit more cinnamon spice appearing.

Conclusion

We weren’t sure this would live up to our memory of it, and while it doesn’t quite land the way we remember, it’s still a solid core range release from Old Pulteney. It holds up well both with and without water, though we’d probably opt for a splash to help bring out more texture on the palate. The casks have added some welcome complexity to the distillery’s spirit, but even with the double maturation, the distilleries coastal DNA is still here. We’d probably have rated a cask strength version half a point higher, but as it stands, this is a 7.5.

Score: 7.5/10

Value

The pricing on this one is a bit all over the place. We’ve seen it as low as £105, which feels much more reasonable than the £130 mark. If you’re looking to pick up a bottle, it’s definitely worth shopping around.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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