Old Pulteney Dunnet Head

By Barry Bradford on June 12, 2017 • ( Leave a comment )

Old Pulteney Dunnet Head (46%, OB, 2013)

Whisky Review

Category: Highland single malt scotch whisky
Origin: Pulteney Distillery
Bottling: Inver House Distillers Ltd.
ABV: 46%
Cost: £69.74

What they say:

Matured in a combination of European and American casks, offering a balanced yet rich flavour profile. It’s bottled at 46% ABV, non chill-filtered and presented at its beautiful natural colour of old brass.

Appearance:

Old Brass.

Aroma:

Warming and sweet, with notes of spices, bitter chocolate and a whiff of a freshly varnished deck. Lemon and creamy vanilla overtones offer balance and brightness.

Taste:

Rich fruit cake, sultanas and salted caramel give way to a touch of leather and fragrant floral top note; a long smooth finish.

What I say:

In keeping with their maritime theme, Old Pulteney released the Lighthouse series of bottling in 2013 to the travel retail market. Each expression is named after a nearby lighthouse, famed for keeping mariners safe on the sometimes rough seas of the northeast coat of Scotland, and is constructed from differing marriages of casks. Named after Dunnet Head lighthouse, this expression is matured in a mixture of European and American oak casks and seeks to achieve a balance between these influences.

Colour:

Copper or brass gold (6/20) medium tears & legs

Nose:

Rich toffee, salted caramel, heather honey, dried fruits, apple, fresh orange peel, orange blossom, milk chocolate or cocoa powder, lemon, vanilla and wood varnish

Taste:

Citrus fruit, oranges & lemons, sherry, fruit cake, cherry, raisin, soreen/malt loaf, leather, salted caramel, orange peel, varnished oak wood and nutmeg spice

Finish:

Medium-long, smooth, toffee, honey and salted caramel

Overall:

Full of salted caramel and orange peel with much deeper sherry notes evident too, approaching that balanced flavour profile found in the Old Pulteney 12 year old or other age statement expressions. Very nicely balanced.