Old Pulteney - Pentland Skerries - Tasting Notes

In a twitter tasting from Old Pulteney, we were lucky to participate and taste the new 'Lighthouse' travel retail series. First we tasted the Noss Head, a bit rough around the edges. Then followed by the Duncansby Head, a more balanced and smoother one. Then we came to the beautiful expression called Pentland Skerries.

This is the most premium of the three new releases. Old Pulteney Pentland Skerries is named after two lighthouse towers of the same name located at the eastern entrance to the Pentland Firth. Fully matured in Spanish ex-sherry butts and it’s bottled at 46% ABV, non chill-filtered, and no coloring added. The price for this one is £54.99 for 1 liter.

The nose surprised me at first by giving me the notes of creamy, french cheese. Combined with sweet fruity tones, it made me feel like wanting to get a plate of cheese and crackers and a nice wine. After a while it opened up more and revealed a bit salty tone, and then followed with sweetness. Orange, stone fruits, raisin, fresh herbs, mint, warm, spicy, pepper, and a hint of a garden filled with different flowers. You just want to keep nosing this one, it keeps revealing more and more.

The palate was filled with honeyed sweetness, raisins, chocolate, fruity... 

Again a bit of the dry woody finish in it, just like the other two expressions of this series. But just quickly and then it passes on to a liqeurish tone, combined with some salt but also peach sweetness, and a honey drizzle. It just keeps on swinging me back and forward from salty to sweet. My palate is lost in the different tones, and liking it.

Nosing and tasting it more and more, this one is clearly something you have to taste more, to understand it better. Like this one, and will definitely get myself a bottle when I encounter one on travels. I gave it a 8...