Old Pulteney 13 Year Single Cask
Old Pulteney is called the “Maritime Malt” and lies in the town of Wick, the northernmost distillery on the mainland of Scotland. Founded in 1826, the distillery was remote enough early on to rely on the sea for the movement of its whisky. Named after the local founder of the Pulteneytown area of Wick, Sir William Pulteney, The distillery closed in 1930 for around 20 years but has been in production ever since, often with a revolving selection of award-winning single malts. The popular 21 year expression was discontinued recently and a new core range was introduced. This Old Pulteney 13 Year offering is a single cask selection made by Ace Spirits.
Lagavulin 8 Year
There are many things to do when you’re a distillery coming up on your 200th anniversary, and Lagavulin celebrated the occasion in 2016 by releasing the Lagavulin 8 to mark the bicentenary, along with a 12 year cask strength. In late 2017, Lagavulin made the 8 year part of its core range, reportedly because of the positive response it received throughout 2016. The choice to release the scotch at 8 years was a call back to a visit by famed whisky journalist Alfred Barnard in the late 1880s, specifically mentioning an 8 year Lagavulin as “exceptionally fine” in his book The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom.
Caol Ila Distillers Edition
The Distillers Editions are a series of scotches from Diageo’s portfolio of distilleries, wherein each introductory whisky is further aged in another barrel for various times to impart finishing characteristics. We here at Scotchology have already reviewed the Oban, Lagavulin and Cragganmore variants. The Caol Ila Distillers Edition starts life as the 12 year offering, which we’ve already reviewed here, and further finished in ex-Moscatel sherry casks.