Old Pulteney 17 Year

Ending my reviews for today on this one - a bit lighter and frankly easier to review whisky. Nose - vanilla, sea salt, and nice oak. There's a light note of berry or fruit, likely from some very tired old sherry casks. There's a also a bit of a waxy vanilla, don't think clynelish but more just a muted and earthy vanilla. I almost get a juicy fruit element but not that exact note. Taste - I get vanilla, oak, and a bit of salt (got more on the nose). Having had some springbank, it's really nice to see a showcase of just salt as I was starting to question if it was peated, yes there is a difference in salty and light peat and this one correcting my confusion. I get a light green apple on the finish with some earthy and savory notes. if I were to describe this it would be a lot of discussion on vanilla, clean, and yet salty. I generally don't get a clean malt flavor with salt but that's kinda what makes old pulteney so good. The one thing I am coming back to is that I think the old 12 year 43% is a better whisky, I know crazy.This is more complex, the finish is longer, but man I miss that caramel and vanilla ice cream with cookie dough I got on the 12. It's a real shame this is no longer going to be made as well as the REAL 12 year. I really love what this distillery has been doing, but it's just a shame that we're going to see a decline in quality and an increase in price. Anyway 2.25, a bit higher score than the 12 as the age and finish are better here. I still think if I could find the 12, even if price weren't a factor (and this bottle is 90 dollar more than that 12 I last bought). I'd still likely take the 12. Still whisky quality is more than "do I like it more" and here the 17 is a better made product. I am wondering however if I got an off bottle as I had a sample of this a while back and it blew my mind. I'm about 25% through this bottle and it hasn't come close to what I remember in that sample. So apologies if it turns out this was a dud and I under valued this bottle, that sample would have likely been a 3.25.

Better than the pulteney 21

Suuuuper sweet, almost too sweet for me. Lighter but lasting oak finish. I can taste the bourbon influence.

My second selection on my recent visit to The Franklin Room in Chicago was Old Pulteney  21 (for the first, see my review of Compass Box Hedonism the Muse).   I asked the bartender for a dram and he disappeared to get the bottle.  But he returned a couple of minutes later empty handed.  "There's just a little bit left and it's been sitting for a while.  I don't want to give you that," he said.   Appreciative but slightly disappointed, I faced the reality that i would likely never experience the 21 since it has been discontinued and doesn't seem to be available anywhere. Undeterred from Old Pulteney, however, I shifted to the 17.   This whiskey screams seaside in the summer.  There's fruit and oceanside breeze on the nose.  The palate is quite smooth and rich, with some dark fruit, salt, and mild oak, with a hint of chocolate on the finish.  It's well balanced and entirely pleasant. Although i didn't realize it then, I've since learned that the 17 has also been discontinued.  Fortunately, availability is still good, so I'm going to to pick up a bottle soon.

Fruity with a sultana flavour on the nose. The first sip is sharp but the second sip is rich, full bodied and sweet. Strong notes of toffee and raison. Much fuller and buttery with a dash of water. The raisin softens and leaves you with a fruitful bouquet and a light oak finish.

A lovely highland! I taste salt, malt and orange. At $100/bottle I would buy it again for its uniqueness but there are other highlands I would buy first. I’m happy to have it in my collection but it is getting low and from what I heard, it is no longer available.