Whisky Focus - Old Pulteney 1989 Lightly Peated

Old Pulteney 1989, lightly peated by maturation in casks that previously held heavily peated whisky.

Old Pulteney have announced the release of a second vintage limited edition lightly peated single malt whisky, this time they have released Old Pulteney 1989 which was bottled in 2015 making it around 26 years old by my calculations.

What makes this a lightly peated expression is not the peat level of the distilled whisky but the casks the whisky has matured in. To give the new 1989 vintage its peaty, smoky character, the whisky was matured in American oak ex-bourbon barrels, which previously held heavily peated malt.

Those of you that have had the pleasure of non-peated whisky which has matured in casks which previously held peated whisky will know that it doesn't impart a great deal of peaty character to the whisky but if done right with a good cask selection the whisky can take on very lightly peated dimension.

Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to try it so I cant vouch for the whisky or its peat level but it does sound intriguing and Old Pulteney is a single malt which does usually turn out well when left for 20 plus years to mature. The distillery describe the Old Pulteney 1989 vintage as "peaty to start on the palate with a heavy, spicy underpinning. With notes of vanilla, coconut and oranges this indulgent single malt has a long-lasting finish".

As I said this is the second vintage limited edition lightly peated single malt whisky from the distillery, the first was the Old Pulteney 1990 bottled in 2013 which picked up decent enough reviews but didn't seem to catch the imagination of whisky drinkers in this price bracket as you can still find it today in specialist whisky shops. The 1990 was a different whisky to the newly released 1989, apart from the obvious difference in distillation year and age when bottled, the 1990 was a mix of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks that held peated whiskies.

Old Pulteney Senior Brand Manager, Margaret Mary Clarke commented: "We are very proud to launch Old Pulteney 1989 in response to increased consumer demand for peated whiskies and are confident that it will be a real hit with whisky enthusiasts.

"The single malt’s unique, indulgent taste is a real testament to the dedicated team at Pulteney Distillery who are passionate about the latest addition to our much-loved single malt portfolio."

Bottled as all whisky should be, natural in colour, non chill-filtered at 46% ABV the Old Pulteney 1989 will be released to the UK in this month with global markets to follow. The new whisky has an RRP £135 per bottle.
 

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