Old Pulteney 2000/2012 Flotilla (46.4%, OB bottled for Tonnerre de Brest 2012, ex-Bourbon Casks): nose: certainly lives up to its name as the maritime malt: this is saline indeed, with added pastry for good measure. Vanilla custard with a dusting of sea salt, doughnuts eaten by the seaside, Langues de Chat, salted caramel and fudge, calamansi with a sprinkle of salt. It has a fruity side that brings a smile to one's face. The second nose does away with the seaside and focuses on pastry instead, chiefly shortbread, now. It has a spray of lemon juice too. Over time, the lemon turns into chewy citrus-flavoured sweets. Mouth: ooh! It is now clearly fruity, with calamansi, tangerine, sweet lemon and calamondin showing their wares. The tongue perceives a slight bitterness, probably that of the citrus' peels. Chewing increases the acidity that one would expect from citrus, and adjoins a heaped tablespoon of fine salt. Chewing some more sees the appearance of pink grapefruit, and the salt mixes with their skin to somehow come across as rubber. The second sip is bitterer, as if the rubber touch had found a new lease of life. Citrus peels, rubber seals... and, out of nowhere, crisp sweet citrus (Cara Cara orange, yuzu, Ugli fruit), maybe even mixed peel. Finish: a modest kick delivers pastry, salt and distant rubber. Soft, moist madeleines sprinkled with salt, Langues de Chat, all-butter cake. The rubber note is limited to water in which liquorice bootlaces have soaked. It is barely worth mentioning. Repeated quaffing further dials down the rubber and introduces moist lemon cake to replace it. That goes very well with a glass of orange-infused water and a pinch of salt. This is a solid, unchallenging dram. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, OB)
Pulteney 13yo 2012/2025 (58.9%, Hannah Whisky Merchants Lady of the Glen Rare Cask, Refill Barrel, C#800134, 241b): nose: noticeably sibylline, this one has fudge, vanilla custard and shortbread of one kind or another. Where the other one had clear salt, this is more metallic. Instead of a sprinkle of sea salt, it takes dusty oxidised metal, heats it, then grates it. The filings thereof are what we smell here. Soon enough, lemon cake rises up to the challenge and overtakes all, fresh, fruity, moist and a little salty, after all. In fact, it turns fruitier and fruitier as the lemon turns to lime, the calamansi to pomelo. The second nose has citrus-flavoured Turkish delights, candied lemon or calamansi slices, and clementines living their best life on a stovetop, and slowly turning dry as a result. It still has a whiff of cake, yet that is less obvious, now. At a push, one might find daffodil stems too. Tilting the glass belatedly gives a whisper of dry earth from a farm path. Mouth: of course, it is stronger than its predecessor, but it remains totally acceptable. Pretty bitter, albeit a fruity bitterness -- citrus peels and pith, hardly any foliage. Chewing increases the heat and a pleasant warmth settles, akin to sitting in a heated car seat: the feeling is clear, yet it is difficult to pinpoint where it comes from. Citrus peels transform into heated cucumber peels and the citrus sees the addition of kumquat, which brings the acidity down a notch. The second sip has dishwater, lukewarm and made foamy with a dash of citrus-scented detergent. Oh! it is not soapy per se -- it is more an impression of freshness and cleanliness with a minute rubbery bitterness. Lemon cake makes a comeback, in which ground green chilli was blended with the flour. Original and delicious! Finish: lukewarm marmalade with a pinch of salt. Beside that sweet-acidic fruitiness, a wonderful warmth puts one at ease. It has a green touch too, and it is lukewarm butterhead lettuce, rather than citrus foliage, which results in a reduced bitterness. The second gulp seems to offer a warm cup of something part chicory infusion, part citrus juice, part pouring custard, part honey (yes). It weaves sweet, acidic and bitter notes with brio and still provides this welcome, comforting warmth. That feeling stays long after the medium finish has given all the flavours it had in stock. That is comparable to chilli which keeps the palate tingling, even though no other flavour subsists. Good drop. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, SW)
Happy birthday, FN.
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