Old Pulteney 18 Year Old
Old Pulteney · Pulteney Distillery
A masterclass in how coastal air and sherry cask maturation can converge — the sea's influence never overwhelms, but subtly sharpens every note.
Nose
Rich sherry sweetness leads with dried figs, dates, and orange marmalade, followed by soft brine, toasted almond, and a whisper of leather and beeswax.
Palate
Silky and full-bodied with layers of dark chocolate, candied orange peel, cinnamon-dusted raisins, and a maritime saltiness that lifts the sweetness into balance.
Finish
Long and warming, with lingering sherry-soaked oak, dark toffee, sea spray, and a gentle spiced dryness.
- Region
- Highland (Northern)
- Cask Type
- Ex-bourbon and ex-Spanish Sherry oak
- Peat Level (PPM)
- Unpeated
- Distillation
- Double distilled in Pulteney's uniquely shaped stills — the wash still has a flat top (the swan neck was reportedly cut off to fit in the still house) and a large boil ball, producing a distinctively rich, oily spirit.
- Maturation
- Matured for 18 years in a combination of ex-bourbon American oak and Spanish ex-Sherry oak casks in coastal warehouses.
- Chill-Filtered
- No
Cocktail Suggestion
The Herring Coast — 2 oz Old Pulteney 18, 0.5 oz Pedro Ximénez sherry, 2 dashes orange bitters, 1 dash saline solution. Stir with ice, strain into a chilled coupe, garnish with an orange twist expressed over the surface.
Food Pairing
Seared duck breast with a fig and port reduction, or aged Manchego drizzled with orange-blossom honey.
Founded in 1826 in the once-thriving herring port of Wick, Pulteney is Scotland's northernmost mainland distillery, its spirit shaped by North Sea winds that seep into every warehouse cask.
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