Old Pulteney 18 Year Old

Jokes aside, I’m throughly let down by this whisky. Everyone knows Old Pulteney for its salty briny iodine like sea flavours and that’s what everyone comes to Old Pulteney for because it’s the only one that could pull this trick off with out the influence of peat and score many accolades and awards this is what it’s loved and known for. You can imagine my shock when they switched from that citrus like fino sherry finish which was in perfect harmony and balance and complimented its distinguished maritime character over to oloroso casks, but I’m open minded and thought I’d give it a go and bought a bottle at an eye watering £102.00 for a 18 year old. In its own right it’s not a bad dram it’s quite nice but not £100.00+ nice and the worst thing about is this gorgeous sea air and brininess and iodine flavours have gone, sure it has some saltiness but the main characteristics that made the dram wonderful and unique have gone and for me this whisky at this age at these prices and flavours are not worth buying anymore. Gone is the great whisky and in places streamlined slick marketing and premium prices for a underperforming shell of a whisky of its former glory. Such a shame…

15th March 2022

I bought a bottle of the 18yo just a couple of years ago after really enjoying the 12, and thought it a lovely dram, so had it on my radar to buy again, but am totally shocked at how much it's gone up. I've had a few bottles of the 12 on rollback at the supermarket at a quarter of the price recently, and pound for pound just dont think i will be buying the 15 or 18 again any time soon. On a purely whisky basis, yes it's good with a smooth and clean taste, but how many of us want to pay almost double what you can get say a Deanston 18 for when it's on offer, i don't.

7th February 2022

A great nose of biscuit and smoke, a palate that lashes vanilla and stewed fruits, that ultimately fades into a listless haze. Great start but a weak finish.

31st July 2021

The taste is lovely and that sea brine and ozone like flavour which gives it its salted caramel flavour and is what I come to old Pulteney for, no other costal single malt quite manages to capture this essence as good as Old Pulteny does with out peat, which I hate and find it doesn’t add to the experience it over powers and destroys a lot of flavour for me but taste is subtractive and everyone is different. Some people like the smell and taste of TCP as peated whisky has many of the same chemicals compounds in it like phenols iodine and alcohol exactly the same as TCP. Anyway onto this: I remember when the 21 Y/O was £90.00 odd pounds but went up after it’s #1 WWA and #1 Jim Murry Awards and rightly so, but the 21 Y/O was far better than this 18 Y/O because it used Portuguese Fino Casks which perfectly complemented the rich briny range of 17 and 21 and they changed the line, now they use Spanish oloroso casks which I think is very nice but that zingy Fino Sherry cask was just better and enhanced the briny sea like flavour. I hope they go back to fino on the next range because as lovely as this is it’s not worth the near £100.00 they are asking for it and it being the same price as the famed 21 plus its aged for 3 years less so I’d rather save my money and buy those straggler 21 year olds that pop up every now and then as this is a faint fart of the better version so it’s got 3.5 stars because it’s still a lovely dram but it’s far to expensive for what it is so it looses a star there and it fails to deliver on what is promised mostly and looses another half of a star. 3.5 is fair in my eyes.

16th April 2021

I don’t want mention about the price. Look at whiskey itself, quality is superb, fantastic taste. Long long development

8th November 2019

Also disgusted by the price hike. The 17YO wasn't cheap but it was just about ok for the quality.

24th August 2019

Lovely whisky. Elegant with honey, fruits, spanish oak. Touch of dryness to balance the sweetness. Absolutely enjoyed this one!

8th May 2019

Tried this recently in my local whisky bar in Bath. I was really entrigued to try it as always been a huge fan of the whisky old 17/21. It was good, as good as the old 17 but not worth the extra £35-£40. Hasten to say, I won’t be buying a bottle. Might take a look at some independent bottlings or other similar martine malts like Glen Scotia and Arran. It’s been a wonderful ride Old Pulteney. I’ll always look back with fond memories.

19th February 2019

Only because last reviewer did not rate this bottling from its taste but from his price.
I agree with your opinion as a whisky lover regarding the everlasting increasing prices in the whisky (and rum, and gin, and...) world, but one should not put a disastering note on a whisky that he has never tasted, or he should do it for 50% of the bottles on the market :(

17th November 2018

Have to agree with the last reviewer. Old Pulteney appear to be following pricing tips from some other distilleries who's prices skyrocketed in an attempt to premiumise the 'brand'.

I don't care about a brand I care about good whisky. Old Pulteney is good whisky, but neither in this world or the next would I pay nearly £120 for an 18 year old. Plenty of other good whisky around for a lot less money.

Won't be buying any more OP until they see sense about their pricing.

3rd September 2018