Old Pulteney 21 year old review

Voted “World Whisky of the Year 2012” by Jim Murray in his Whisky Bible, with a stunning 97,5 points. Old Pulteney is the most northerly mainland distillery in Scotland. Old Pulteney 21 year old single malt is a marriage of spirits matured in second fill American oak ex-bourbon casks and first fill Spanish oak ex-Oloroso sherry casks. In the 21YO, there’s a higher proportion of ex-Oloroso sherry casks compared to the 17YO.

Old Pulteney 21YO along with Bunnahabhain Darach Ùr and Big Peat

I was fortunate enough to get a bottle of this for our local whisky tasting in Finland, before the price started to rise. Not necessarily my kind of whisky, so I guess I have to appreciate it even more. Giving it a score of 90, it’s hard to imagine anyone not like this whisky. Smooth and consistent dram. The best part of Old Pulteney 21YO is, that it gets even better at every step of the tasting.

Must be THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION of whisky

I can easily relate it with The Shawshank Redemption – one of the most liked, if not even the most liked movie of all-time (best of IMDB with score of 9.2, 12/12/2014). Like Old Pulteney 21 yrs, The Shawshank Redemption gets better all the way. Grabbing you from the opening scene and keeping you glued on ’till the very end of the movie.

Matured in:

Second fill Ex-Bourbon casks and first fill Oloroso Ex-Sherry casks

Colour: Golden amber

Nose: Fruits, like green apples and pears. Very smooth with spicy and floral notes. Some vanilla and even sea breeze in a smooth way. Pure luxury for your senses – and did I mention it was smooth?

Taste: Hints of peat and peppers but mostly, sweet malt. After addition of water, honey and caramel rise to dominate.

Finish: Lasts long and good. A bit dry with delicate spices. Vanilla and fruits are like velvet for your throat.

Balance: In great balance, very smooth, yet charismatic whisky. Keeps getting better every step of the way. The marvellous finish is like the main event of an entertaining show.