During the nineteenth century, the town of Wick was the herring fishing capital of Europe and as many as 1,000 boats used the port. Indeed, Pulteneytown, the area of Wick south of the river, was built for this purpose in 1810 by its namesake, Sir William Pulteney. The Pulteney distillery itself was founded by James Hendersen in 1826. Lying close to the coast to the south of Wick, the distillery was only accessible by sea and to this day remains Scotlands northernmost mainland distillery. The whisky was exported on boats and barley was shipped in and its maritime traditions were such that distillery workers also moonlighted as fishermen.

Pulteney operated under Buchanan-Dewar, who became part of Distillers Company Limited in 1925. Five years later the stills of Pulteney fell silent. It was not before two decades had passed, that production restarted, following Robert Cummings acquisition in 1951. Allied Breweries purchased the distillery along with parent company James & George Stodart Ltd in 1961.

Following the acquisition of Pedro Domecq, Allied sold the Pulteney whisky distillery to Inver House Distillers who remain the owners, though since 2006 they have been under Thai Beverage control. The distillery is relatively small with a capacity of just one million litres annually. Single malt whisky is bottled under the name Old Pulteney and there have been both official and independent releases over the years.

Old PulteneyPort Finish

Old Pulteney Port is the second expression in The Coastal Series. Matured in both Ruby Port Pipes and Ruby Port Barriques, which once held an iconic sweet, red, fortified wine native to the Douro Valley of northern Portugal. The sweet flavours of the wine pair perfectly with the briny notes The Maritime Malt is known for.

Bottled at 46% without chill-filtration.

Tasting Notes

Nose:Rich sultana sweetness with vanilla and buttery notes, candied orange peel and hints of gingerbread. Undertones of cherries, marzipan and dark chocolate add depth and balance.

Palate:Sweet and spicy with notes of baked apples, caramelised sugar and cinnamon swirl pastries. Opens up further with vanilla custard, a touch of rose water and The Maritime Malts signature minerality.

Finish:The taste continues into delicate and fruity notes, warming spices and plum jam sweetness.