Old Pulteney 30-year-old

This year, the ancient, rugged, spray-beaten distillery of Old Pulteney is celebrating its 200th anniversary with two bottles that epitomise the sheer quality and creaky, coastal charm of their production.To visit Old Pulteney is to be transported in time. Unusual for being central, rather than peripheral, to the town in which it is located, the grey, weather-worn walls of their still room and warehouses shelter a distillate of tremendous beauty and character.Weighty, oily and yet concentrated with fruit, these are whiskies with all the credentials required for extended aging. It is therefore a joy for us to see the proof of this longevity writ large in these two limited and celebratory releases.