WHISKY REVIEWS, NEWS, HISTORY & FOLKLORE
The Old Pulteney Story
A Scot on Scotch reviews Old Pulteney Harbour, a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
Harbour is the latest release from the Old Pulteney Distillery in Wick. Located in the extreme far north of Scotland, Wick and its famous distillery have long shared a powerful connection with the sea and that relationship is celebrated through this latest expression of the distillery’s single malt.
People have lived in the Wick area since the Iron Age and it became a Norse settlement during the Viking incursions. Over many years, the Norse influence faded – a report of 1707 records the population as predominantly Gaelic speakers, with a good grasp of English – but traces of the Viking past can still be found. Even the name, Wick, comes from Vik – Norse for bay.
Wick’s natural harbour, made it an appealing location for the British Fisheries Society and in 1805, they established Pulteneytown on the south side of the River Wick. Named after Sir William Pulteney, it became a major player in the herring boom of the 19th century. At its peak, the harbour had more fishing boats than any other European port.
21 years after the port was built, a man named James Henderson established a distillery and like the town itself, it enjoyed great success. After a century in production, it was bought by James Watson & Co. and then later amalgamated into the Distillers Company Ltd (DCL).
Prohibition? In Wick?
It wasn’t all plain sailing for Pulteney. The early years of the 20th century saw the temperance movement gain ground and the 1913 Temperance (Scotland) Act gave individual councils the right to ballot on the sale of alcohol. The people of Wick voted on the 28th of May 1922 with a majority of 62% voting to ban alcohol. Pubs were forced to close their doors and the distillery, in production for over 100 years, soon followed suit.
Wick remained “dry” until 1947 but the town’s population found ways to work around the law. The 20-mile train ride to “wet” Thurso became increasingly popular and there were rumours of illicit stills that operated through the night. By 1946, however, the world had changed dramatically. The Second World War had finally drawn to a close and a sense of optimism was returning. The people decided the time had come to reopen the pubs.
Across the country, distilleries returned to production, encouraged by a government that recognised whisky’s ability to bring in export dollars. It took a bit longer to get Pulteney up and running but in 1951, spirit flowed from the stills once more.
DISTILLERY REOPENS. — Pulteneytown Distillery, Wick was reopened yesterday after having been closed for over 20 years. Mr John Reid. C.A.. Wick. presided at the opening ceremony. After referring to “the golden liquid that produces dollars necessary to buy raw materials.” Sir David Robertson M.P. for Caithness and Sutherland congratulated the directors of Pulteney Distillery Company on the magnificent job they had done in bringing the distillery into production again. The Scotsman. Saturday September 1st 1951.
Old Pulteney was sold to Allied Distillers in 1961 who, in turn, sold to Inver House in 1995. The distillery remains with the company today.
*Full disclosure: the sample featured in this review was sent to me free of charge. As always, I will strive to give an honest opinion on the quality of the dram and the value for money it represents.
Old Pulteney Harbour Review
Harbour is a new single malt from Old Pulteney Distillery. It’s matured in a quartet of American Oak ex-bourbon casks and is said to pay homage to the distillery’s connection to the sea. It’s bottled at 40% abv.
Smell: Biscuits drizzled with honey. Malt and vanilla buttercream. Bramley apple pies. Cinnamon. Lemon and lime. A definite maritime vibe – shellfish and brine.
Taste: You notice the saltiness straight away. Sea salt and black pepper. Cider vinegar. Stewed apples. Toffee. Citrus – orange and lemon. Slightly herbal.
Thoughts: The last time I tasted Old Pulteney’s 12-year-old I was a wee bit disappointed. It seemed to lack the maritime qualities that the distillery is known for. With Harbour, the spirit seems to have rediscovered that coastal influence and the saltiness has well and truly been dialled up.
Beyond the salty character, Harbour perhaps isn’t the most complex of whiskies. There’s a lot of apple and some biscuity malt but it lacks weight and feels a wee bit thin to me. I wanted to put some water in, to see if I could get past the saltiness and unlock some more spirit character but at such a low strength it’s very easy to drown the spirit.
In fairness, you almost have to view this kind of release as its own category and within the parameters of supermarket fodder, low strength, no-age-statement expressions, it performs well enough. Indeed, it likely has more character than many of the drams you’ll find standing beside it on the shop shelf.
Price: £34. There’s a lot of strong competition at the price point but you might occasionally find it in supermarket discounts. The Tesco Clubcard price is £24, for example. You can’t really argue if you get it as low as that.
For more about Old Pulteney visit here
Leave a Reply