Old Pulteney Navigator
46% ABV - Highlands, Scotland
Nose: Sweet fruits, apple, and orchard fruits, with a slight lemon citrus astringency.
Taste: Quite sweet and fruity, with prominent apple notes. There is a chalky grape must, and light citrus character to this dram. I am looking for something to describe the tangy quality that mulls about, but I can’t settle on a particular flavour – passionfruit?
Finish: Fresh fruits and citrus lead this medium-short finish. Very small amounts of salinity or minerality in the background.
Old Pulteney Navigator has been matured in both ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks. It was originally released in 2013 to commemorate the sponsoring of a yacht in the Clipper Round the World Race. An unknown number of bottles were distributed and I have read suggestions that it was bottled for a number of years. I’m not sure when this one was bottled, but, if you know how to decipher lot codes for Old Pulteney, it has ‘L15/209 R15/5318 IB 11:18’ stamped on this bottle. It is now listed with other ‘Archived’ whiskies on the official Old Pulteney website.
This is a great lightly fruited Highlands single malt that really touches on that green apple part of the flavour wheel. Old Pulteney Navigator has bits and pieces that remind me of Glenlivet 12-Year, although there is quite a prominent layer of other fruits – probably imparted by those ex-Sherry casks. Overall, this is quite a departure from the Old Pulteney expressions that I have tasted to date, and it is a welcome addition to my shelf. Decent value as this one only set me back $75 CAD.
Tasting Notes (Official): Aroma: Sweet and crisp: tangy apples and dried fruit with hints of chocolate and fresh vanilla. Taste: Full bodied and rich: a burst of cocoa, honey and oranges with a long-lasting, spicy finish and suggestion of the sea at the end.
Tasted 30, 31 May 2020. (Posted 31 May 2020.)
