Penny for Your Thoughts - Old Pulteney 12 and 17, Macallan 12, and Glenmorangie Lasanta
I'm continuing to work through a set of 14 samples I purchased from Mission Liquors out on the West Coast. Most of them are new to me, and in particular I got the set because Mission had sample bottles of Old Pulteney 17 (a hard scotch to find, even in the full bottle version, and the only time I've seen a sample of it sold online). Let's see if it lived up to the hype!
Old Pulteney 17 (46% ABV) - Old Pulteney offers a strong example of what I mean when I say something vague like "distillery character." While a lot of Highland distilleries could be mistaken for one another, there is something quite distinct about this one, which is situated on the east coast of the northern Highlands. The distillery describes this dram as aged in "both American and Spanish oak," and I immediately noticed a pretty distinct sherry note when I first poured it. If there's a region I'd imagine when drinking this scotch, it's Ko Sumai -- both in scent and taste, I detect a tropical fruit sweetness, Chinese plums, coconut, lemongrass, and a floral penumbra. The palate also has a fresh wood aspect to it, is a bit tannic (I get that signature waxy feeling on my front teeth with a sip of water after this dram), and a saltwater brininess that is another Old Pulteney signature. The finish is warming and has some of the smokier, chocolate-like notes that sherry finishing sometimes adds, while still layering in those tart and exotic tropical fruit notes. This is a high-end scotch, though I'm sad to hear that the distillery is discontinuing this expression and the 21-year old version due to lack of stocks. Price varies widely, with Old Pulteney 17 going for $75-150 in the U.S. and overseas. At $75, it's a standout scotch, and I can't think of anything quite like it. I must find the 21-year old before it's gone as well! A
Old Pulteney 12 (40%) - Perhaps it was having these two drams side by side, but I felt like the 12-year was also a sherried scotch. According to the distillery's own website, however, this is all ex-bourbon. One possibility is that the unusual fruit flavors of the distillery, particularly the plum and some tropical fruit notes that I picked up in both, are the product of their stills and climate, not just a particular type of cask. It certainly would make sense, as coconut and tropical fruits are not exactly the standard result of sherry aging. In contrast to the 17, the 12 is a less refined but also a unique, worthwhile scotch. The nose has more rice wine rather than plum wine and has a brinier, more iodine-laden scent. The taste has that plum note, however, combined with malt, brine, salt, and some barrel char. It didn't feel as thin as I'd expect at only 40% ABV. The finish is toasted vanilla, with plums and rice wine combining again with some smoke from the barrel char and brine from the sea. This is not a peated or a sherried scotch, apparently, but it hits some similar notes along the way. Strangely enough, the 12 is noticeably darker than the 17 despite being younger, not being aged in sherry, and being bottled at a lower ABV -- so there's a healthy dose of coloring in there. Nonetheless, at $40 a bottle, it's a stellar value. B
The Macallan 12 (43%) - I've read somewhere that The Macallan is the world's third best-selling single malt, behind Glenfiddich and The Glenlivet. They somehow manage to sell so well while simultaneously maintaining much more of a luxurious, upscale image than those two distilleries. I've long been a fan of Macallan 12. On the nose, this scotch is a lesson in what sherry finishing can do to complement classic scotch flavors: so much apple (as in apple pie, the dominant note for me), some darker berries, malt, vanilla, and a bit of barrel char. The palate, although a bit thin and watery, has more apple, a clear expression of core malt flavor, and a hint of raisins. The raisins grow in strength in the finish, along with a rich, sweet flavor like an apple turnover, and a faint sherry smoke or sulfur note (like the scent of matches). Unlike some sherried scotches where the sherry sweetness gets too overwhelming and drowns out the malt, I appreciate that Macallan 12 still leaves room for the core scotch to be itself. It isn't complex, but it expresses its flavors with confidence. Bottle this at 46% and at the same price ($65 or so), and it'd be an A. B+
Glenmorangie Lasanta (46%) - This scotch is another example from the wide range of unusual and surprising outcomes of sherry finishing, which seems to be the theme of this set of reviews. Here, the sherry finishing somehow transforms this scotch into something that resembles other liquors. The nose is exactly like dark rum, much spicier than a typical scotch, but complemented by a healthy dose of oak, honey glaze, varnish, and some other bourbon-like scents. There is a layer of raisins underneath that is more of a typical sherry note. The palate reveals the Glenmorangie Original underlying this dram (Lasanta is the classic 10-year Original, with an additional two years of aging in sherry butts). It has vanilla in spades, the signature Glenmorangie floral note, and is lighter than other sherry-finished scotches like Auchentoshan Three Wood, although this whisky does have some darker, fruitier sherry notes. The finish is a combination of berry and cherry, and much longer than the Original. B