Old Pulteney Flotilla

Nose: Honeysuckle, beeswax, orange juice, jonquils, apricot juice, maritime brine and subtle vanillins from good ex-bourbon casks. Over time a pleasant sunflower oil aroma is apparent. Palate: The arrival is sweet but also briny and dry, and it’s all about pears, sultanas and crisp barley. The flavours sweeten more in the development with oranges (both sweet and Seville), grapefruit and vanilla emerging but later it turns more drying as the briny, coastal character become more obvious, and there is a hint of ale and white pepper. The texture is crisp rather than creamy or oily, but it's not watery. Finish: Medium. Pears, barley sugar and brine leading into a dry, salty aftertaste with just a pinch of chilli. Old Pulteney Flotilla has been available since 2012 as a (more-or-less) yearly release. This tasting was from a bottle with code L20/11/2020 R20/5458 so it was of the 2010/2020 batch. You can still find it but the most recent 2012/2022 batch was highly regarded by critics so if you are looking to buy then that’s the one I’d recommend. In any case, there is a commonality of profile in all the Flotilla releases. This is an enjoyable 100% bourbon-cask matured 10 year Old Pulteney. In my opinion it is better than the current 12 year core-range bottling, and in fact it reminds me in many ways of their old 12 year expression, back before they made changes to the recipe and packaging a few years ago, so I’m giving it the same rating. The profile is fresh, crisp and coastal with barley grist and sea breezes never far away. The gentle sweet honey and citrus tones balance the dryness excellently. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)