A single cask Old Pulteney from a refill sherry butt, bottled for Van Wees and I believe some liquor shops through the Netherlands (The Specialist’s Choice, I think). Don’t mind if I do…

Anyway, you don’t come across sherried Pulteneys all that often, unless you can find the travel retail lighthouse series, or the previous series with boat numbers. I remember those not being all that awesome, those boat ones.

This 17 year old comes from a refill butt that was rather active, if the colour is any indication. I picked it up on a whim when visiting The Old Pipe, a liquor store with a huge whisky selection that I haven’t visited for way too long. They now have a beer shop as well as the port and whisky emporium.

Old Pulteney. Image knicked from WhiskyIsrael.co.il

Sniff:
Fruity, waxy, resinous with a tiny hint of rubber. The rubber wears off when you let it breathe for a few minutes. Then I get orange and sherry notes with leaher and furniture polish.

Sip:
Sharp on my lips, but rather gentle further down the hatch. It does build up some heat though, with pepper, and a rich sweetness. Tropical fruit with wood, leather, pine resin and furniture polish again. Also some white pepper for heat.

Swallow:
The finish is very smooth too, with a tiny amount of white pepper that fades slowly. The fruitiness is gone quickly with dry wood and leather lingering longer. Strangely enough, I get some fresh herbs all of a sudden, mint maybe.

At first I wasn’t too big a fan of this one and it sat quietly gathering dust on my shelf. Since I picked it up for notes and some random whisky drinking, it has started to dwindle quickly, since it is a rather tasty dram. Nothing life changing of course, but one of the better sherried Pulteneys I’ve had.

Old Pulteney 1991-2009, 56.7%, cask 3643 – G&M Reserve for Van Wees. Used to cost about € 70 I think.

Samples available.