Old Pulteney is on top of the world

[Nwicker60]

Expert Jim toasts his 21-year-old global dram

WICK’s Pulteney Distillery has won the coveted title of World Whisky of the Year.
Old Pulteney’s 21-year-old malt scored a record-equalling 97.5 points out of 100 in the 2012 edition of Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible.
The dram is bottled at the distillery, the most northerly in mainland Britain. Whisky connoisseur, Mr Murray tasted over 1,200 new drams for the latest edition of his renowned annual almanac, which is due to be launched on Monday.
Explaining what set the winner above the rest, he said: “The 21-year-old Old Pulteney absolutely exploded from the glass with vitality, charisma and class. It has a ridiculously long fade for a malt, seemingly light, the salts and spices kiss the taste buds goodnight. To be honest, I was amazed.”
He added: “I hope that his award helps one of Scotland’s great unsung distilleries to become discovered around the world.”
In the 19^th century when Wick was a hub for the North Sea herring, fleets, locals reputedly downed as much as 500 gallons of the stuff, a day causing outbreaks of drink-fuelled violence. Author Robert Louis Stevenson described the place in 1892 as “one of the meanest of man’s towns...fights are common, riots often possible, even when I was there, a gunboat lay in the bay to assist the authorities.
The people of Wick voted to ban the public sale of alcohol in 1922 following temperance laws and growing rights for women. It was 25 years before the ban was lifted and Pulteney which had been closed in 1930, reopened in 1951. Its 21-year-old champion costs £74.99 a bottle and is matured in American oak casks.
A Pulteney spokesman said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won this award. It is a tribute to the traditional craftsmanship we have honed over the centuries and also to the unique character that the town lends to our whisky.”