Old Pulteney 12 Year

A great little warmer that really does put you in an old, dark tavern, on a rainy night by the sea. It's salty and briny with vegetation, roasted nuts, citrus fruits, and rich, sweet, decadent malt. The finish is a bit hot. An amazing dram that is now officially one of my favorites. I'll be seeking out Old Pulteney every where I go from now on.

Perhaps it was having this dram side by side with its 17-year old big brother, but I felt like the 12-year was also a sherried scotch.  According to the distillery's own website, however, this is all ex-bourbon.  One possibility is that the unusual fruit flavors of the distillery, particularly the plum and some tropical fruit notes that I picked up in both, are the product of their stills and climate, not just a particular type of cask.  It certainly would make sense, as coconut and tropical fruits are not exactly the standard result of sherry aging.  In contrast to the 17, the 12 is a little less refined but also a unique, worthwhile scotch.  The nose has more rice wine rather than plum wine and has a brinier, more iodine-laden scent.  The taste has that plum note, however, combined with malt, brine, salt, and some barrel char.  It didn't feel particularly thin despite being only 40%.  The finish is toasted vanilla, with plums and rice wine combining again with some smoke from the barrel char and brine from the sea.  This is not a peated or a sherried scotch, apparently, but it hits some similar notes along the way.  Strangely enough, the 12 is noticeably darker than the 17 despite being younger, not being aged in sherry, and being bottled at a lower ABV -- so there must be a healthy dose of coloring in there.

Toasted Coconut & vanilla with a hint of margarita (citrus & salt) So much going on in this exceptionaly ballanced sipper.

Silly name but very drinkable. Surprisingly complex, middle of the road.