Old Pulteney 2004 Single Cask #128 TWE Exclusive (62.1%, OB, Sherry Butt, 612 Bottles, 2018)

• Category: Highland single malt scotch whisky
• Origin: Pulteney Distillery
• Bottling: OB exclusively for The Whisky Exchange
• ABV: 62.1%
• Cost: ~£120

What they say

A cask-strength single malt from Old Pulteney, bottled exclusively for us. This rich and fruity dram, of which only 612 bottles are available, was matured in a single sherry cask between 2004 and 2018. It has delicious flavours of spiced vanilla, dried fruits and dark chocolate, with hints of the distillery’s characteristic saltiness.

Official tasting notes:

• Appearance: Dark bronze
• Nose: Hints of butterscotch and toffee are followed by notes of Christmas cake and dried fruit drizzled with honey.
• Palate: A spicy vanilla is followed by dried fruits and a hint of dark chocolate. The finish is long with hints of saltiness; which is signature to Old Pulteney single malt whisky.

What I say

An official single cask 2004 vintage Old Pulteney bottled exclusively for The Whisky Exchange.

Matured for 14 years (2004-2018) in a Sherry Butt and bottled at cask strength 62.1%.

My tasting notes:

• Colour: Old brown Oloroso sherry (18/20), beading forms slow medium-fine tears  and leaving very fine legs.
• Nose: Sherry-soaked raisins, plum duff, Fruit-cake and malt loaf (Soreen) a faint hint of chewy old bicycle tyre rubber, umami, toffee apple, treacle toffee, sticky toffee pudding, walnuts and fruity dark chocolate, salted caramel.
• Taste: Deep dark fruits, plums, damson, raisin, figs, all wrapped in dark chocolate, a little spirity burn at full strength hints at cinnamon spice and lime juice, reduced this softens revealing more toffee and caramel but also a healthy pinch of spices, earthy cheroot cigars, liqourice root and angelica stems, a little woody and fibrous before settling into malt loaf and fruit cake from the nose.
• Finish: Long, spiced gingerbread or fruitcake, salted caramel, hints of dark chocolate, coffee grounds and drying walnut.

Overall

An intense and heavily sherried Pulteney cask reminds me why I love this combination so much. Deep dark fruit coupled with chocolate from the cask mixes with rich malt, coastal salt and sweet fruitiness of Pulteney’s spirit. A brief rubbery whiff on the nose was a false alarm and this dilutes wonderfully revealing ever more facets and flavours.

Score 91/100

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