Old Pulteney Celebrates; Yellow Submarine Resurfaces
Hello everyone
A media release mid-month (just after my last column) to tell me of Old Pulteney‘s special releases to mark their 200th anniversary. The expressions are a Old Pulteney 30 Year Old and Old Pulteney 50 Year Old and, not surprisingly, no samples of such rare items.
Let‘s start with the 50 Year Old. Only 200 bottles were produced from four casks, mainly US oak with a little European oak for „richness and depth“ they tell us. The crystal decanter is a bespoke item from Glencairn crystal and a “...curved gold base envelopes each decanter. The outer casing is meticulously crafted from premium oak, with a design inspired by the driftwood of Old Pulteney’s coastal home”. This expression is bottled at 40.8% abv and you’d find it at around £20,000 per bottle. Well, I won’t at that price but some certainly will.
The 30 Year Old is also matured predominantly in US oak with an added refinement of European oak.The decanter is another of Glencairn’s fine creations and decorated with rose gold and sand-etchings of ocean waves to reflect Pulteney distillery’s location. Again, the bespoke outer casing takes inspiration from weathered driftwood. There are 1,000 bottles of this one at 50.4% abv and priced at around £1,750 per bottle. Here are their tasting notes:
Colour: Burnished copper
Nose: A refined harmony of sugared almonds and sweet oak, layered with juicy orchard fruits – pear and green apple – alongside toffee, polished oak and a whisper of citrus. Subtle floral notes mingle with hints of leather and tobacco, all lifted by a gentle maritime breeze.
Palate: Opens with bright citrus and crisp pear, unfolding into salted caramel and baked apple. Warm spices – cinnamon and nutmeg – intertwine with polished oak and delicate floral notes, creating a rich, layered sweetness.
Finish: Medium to long, revealing a graceful balance of sweet and salty, leaving a lasting impression of coastal elegance.
Sounds lovely. This was a distillery owned by Allied Distillers when I worked there and sadly, never got the opportunity to try then. It wasn’t a priority brand. One of those where the best thing that could happen to it was to be sold to a company that would make more of it and I’m glad to have been able to appreciate various expressions via Inver House who bought it some years back. Both packs for these two celebratory offerings were designed by Lewis Moberly. Now there’s a blast from the past as I commissioned them to do some pack design for The Glendronach years ago. They were a top UK design agency then and have clearly maintained their status ever since. Anyway, congratulations to Pulteney Distillery and a hope that they continue far into the future.
It’s quite the year for 200th anniversaries as Glendronach Distillery is also celebrating – that’s legal distilling as there was activity on the site long before then.
I mentioned that an updated version of Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine, now at 14 years old and Reclassified, was launched around the time of Feis Ile. At the masterclass, it was one of my favourites and they’ve now sent out info on a trio of summer cocktails with this excellent expression. They say, “Each serve keeps the whisky in clear view, with just enough lift, salt, sweetness or bitterness to pull something new from the glass.”
The three cocktails are The Sunken Sip, The Coastal Collins and The Old Fashioned (Reclassified). All three sound delicious but the one that appeals to me most is The Coastal Collins so make and serve as follows:
The Coastal Collins
Tall, sharp and salty.
Fresh lemon gives this serve some snap, sea salted honey syrup brings a soft briny sweetness, and soda water stretches everything into something bright and easy to drink.
Ingredients
• 50ml Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine [Reclassified]
• 20ml fresh lemon juice
• 15ml sea salted honey syrup
• Top with soda water
• Lemon twist, to garnish
Method
Shake Yellow Submarine, lemon juice and sea salted honey syrup with ice. Strain into a chilled highball glass over fresh ice. Top with soda water and garnish with a lemon twist.
Sea salted honey syrup
• 200g runny honey
• 100ml warm water
• 2g fine sea salt
1. Add the honey and warm water to a clean jug or bottle.
2. Stir or shake until fully combined.
3. Add the see salt and stir again.
4. Bottle and chill before use.
5. Keeps in the fridge for up to 1 week.
I‘m guessing if soda is too dry a taste for you then you might try tonic water instead.
So there‘s a refreshing note on which to end for this time. See you back here again in July.
Till then, happy dramming.
Slainte mhath,
Caroline
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