Old Pulteney 12yo
Official Bottling | 40% ABV
Score: 4/10
Some promise.
TL;DR
It doesn’t suck, but it’s not for me
Nasty or nostalgia?
I’m trying to remember my early steps down the whisky rabbit hole with Barbara Streisand ringing in my mind; “Memories… like the corner of my mind…”
Why am I waxing nostalgic? Well, the Dramface group chat began a discussion about revisiting whiskies that were early landmarks on our whisky journeys. We’ve seen Wally’s piece on Macallan 12, as well as the Lagavulin 16 review. Now on to Old Pulteney 12. This review originated in the contributors’ chat, but it crystallised when I recently watched YouTube.
I came across a video examining five brands’ more expensive bottles which went on to recommended more economical entries from those producers as better options - and the first example was Old Pulteney.
The host put forward the Old Pulteney 18 at £125, and suggested the better choice was to go for the Old Pulteney 12 at £34. He spoke of the Old Pulteney 12 as being a great entry level whisky with beautiful flavours, and said the bottle remains a personal favourite.
Taste is subjective. I love black liquorice but my daughter would wretch if she ever had it touch her tongue again. So, too, with whisky. In my early whisky days I had an Old Pulteney 12 and thought it was a unique and flavourful drink. At that time, I had just started dipping my big toe in the sea of uisge beatha. Now that I’ve spent years jumping into that ocean and making repeated dives to explore its depths, it’s difficult going back to the tidal pools and coastal surf where I first started.
Just as I can appreciate and have a nostalgic smile when I pick up books such as Harold and the Purple Crayon and Good Night, Moon that I read as a child they don’t carry any interest with me now. Similarly, picking up a bottle of Old Pulteney 12 now doesn’t hold the same interest as it once did.
Review
Old Pulteney 12yo, Official bottling, 40% ABV
US$38 (£30) paid
Old Pulteney 12 divides opinion: for some, it remains a go-to budget dram, while others don’t think it’s as good as it once was. Again, taste is subjective, and no one is wrong. To each their own. Here’s how I see it.
Score: 4/10
Some promise.
TL;DR
It doesn’t suck, but it’s not for me
Nose
Sweet vanilla. Grits and butter. Stale Graham Crackers and lemon rind.
Palate
Diluted vanilla and sweet honey. There are floral hints and tropical fruit in the background but overall the flavour is muted. I can’t escape the 40% ABV. It’s thin and despite its claim to be “The Maritime Malt” I don’t get any brininess or salinity. It’s a bit like fruit cocktail syrup that’s been significantly watered down. With peace and love to Pulteney distillery, I just don’t enjoy it. It’s an overly neutered, un-natural whisky.
The Dregs
This bottle has nostalgia, but no depth. It’s a light, bland, and un-challenging single malt that doesn’t impress. I didn’t start my whisky journey until 2018, and that was the year Old Pulteney rebranded and introduced their new core range.
Whisky geeks who remember Old Pulteney pre-2018 recall it with fondness. I have no such memory so my recall is to the same bottle, craft-wise, as it is today. It doesn’t suck, but it isn’t good. If I only had $40 with which to buy a bottle, OP12 wouldn’t even garner a consideration. Put your money on the table for Scarabus ($35), Loch Lomond 12 ($39), or a Balcones Lineage ($40). All three of these provide wonderful and robust flavour, all 46% ABV or higher, and (with the exception of Loch Lomond adding some colouring) all are natural.
Leave the Old Pulteney 12yo for those that don’t care to dive any deeper in today’s sea of choice.
Score: 4/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. OS
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Other opinions on this:
Malt Activist (referenced in article)
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