Whisky Review: Pulteney 10 Years Old Oloroso Sherry octave finish – The Octave Project

• Category: Highland single malt scotch whisky
• Origin: Pulteney distillery
• Bottling: A. D. Rattray, The Octave Project
• ABV: 56%
• Cost: £30 for 5 x 3cl

What they say

This set of 30ml little dram samples of Pulteney single malt are a result of The Octave Project. The Pulteney spirit was originally matured in a Bourbon Hogshead before being divided between four different Octave casks. Specially commissioned from the coopers for our Project, each Octave used oak staves taken from a larger cask that had previously contained PX Sherry, Oloroso Sherry, Rioja or Rum. One portion of whisky from the original cask was retained to enable a point of comparison.

Enjoy and compare these intense new flavours alongside the original Bourbon cask… savour the major and minor notes.

What I say

Similar to the Arran Octave project previously reviewed this set is composed of 5 x 3cl drams starting with a sample from the original Bourbon barrel, distilled at Pulteney distillery and matured for a minimum of 9 years, before cask finishing in 4x different ‘seasoned’ Octave casks a small portion of the original barrel was kept for comparison. The remainder due to their time in the Octaves are 10 years old.

This sample was finished for around 5 months in an Oloroso Sherry seasoned Octave.

My tasting notes:

• Appearance: Bright Copper (11/20), fine tears and very fine legs.
• Nose: Fruity, light berries, strawberry and raspberry with cream, a hint of Sherry balsamic vinegar, toffee, cherry lips sweeties, powdered cinnamon spice, ‘burnt’ cherry.
• Taste: Creamy toffee then cry and spiced, cinnamon, nutmeg, red berry fruits, medicated cherry drops, red liqourice and lemon barley sugars.
• Finish: Medium spiced berries and cream.

Overall

Spiced and redolent of fruity berries and cream, I’m not sure this is an improvement over the original cask – in fact most of the things I liked from the original bourbon barrel are absent here. Still a very drinkable dram and pleasant rather than spectacular.

Score 83/100

Shop for Pulteney – The Octave Project (opens A.D. Rattray)

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