Whisky Review: Pulteney 11 Year Old 2006 Authentic Collection

• Category: Highland single malt scotch whisky
• Origin: Pulteney Distillery
• Bottling: Cadenhead’s
• ABV: 56.1%
• Cost: £61.60 from Wm Cadenhead’s

What they say:

Distilled at Pulteney Distillery in 2006, matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead and bottled in spring 2017 at cask strength of 56.1% ABV producing 294 bottles at outturn as part of Cadenhead’s Cask Strength Authentic Collection.

Nose:

Cream liqueur, lemon zest, menthol, popcorn, sweet potato, unripe bananas, toffee, mint, and white pepper…

Palate:

Plum jam, very sweet, sugary fruits, oranges, bubblegums, very creamy and strawberries

Finish:

Very sweet, very fresh, lime juice, milky sweets, raspberries chocolate and coffee.

What I say:

As a big Old Pulteney fan it is not often you get a chance to sample an Independently bottled expression. Pulteney distillery pretty much halted any private cask sales when Inver House took over as the new owners in 1995 (despite my many enquiries during our visit!). So Indie bottles surface via inter-distillery/company cask trading which I can only assume is how Cadenhead’s arrived by this example. Bottled in its rawest state this is the perfect chance to try Pulteney whisky at its most basic.

Colour:

Light straw gold (2/20) numerous fine tears leave very fine legs

Nose:

Sweet lemon and lime citrus, quite thick and unctuous aroma with vanilla, caramel, white pepper and cinnamon spice, grapefruit zest, toffee and toasted coconut

Taste:

Green apple, white grape, lime and lemon citrus, applemint and spearmint, green banana and green coconut – tastes like green! sweet caramel some salt spray, toffee apple and woody oak. With water this fresh green flavour relaxes into soft fruit; peach, apricot and more vanilla

Finish:

Long, sweet & spice with white pepper and white grape

Overall:

Quite a light cask influence in this 11 year old Pulteney expression, lots of sweet and spicy Pulteney spirit though little of the characteristic malt or coastal influenced flavours were discernible. I enjoyed this despite it being spicy and hot/spirit in places, with water it gained a little but also lost a  little too (c’est la vie) perhaps a balance can be struck as it is too strong to drink much neat.

Score: 85/100

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