Lot #9 Old Pulteney Polaris 47 Year Old 1978

Overview

Polaris, Old Pulteney’s oldest release to date, is a rare 47-year-old whisky. Inspired, crafted, distilled and shaped by the Caithness coastline from the ‘Maritime Malt’.

Details

Polaris, the oldest whisky ever released from Old Pulteney’s nearly 200-year-old distillery, is a rare 47-year-old single malt Scotch whisky that stands as a testament to nearly two centuries of coastal craftsmanship. Distilled in Wick, where salt-laden winds meet the steadfast cliffs of Caithness, it captures the unmistakable maritime character that defines the ‘Maritime Malt’.

This luxurious single malt rested for four decades in American oak ex-bourbon casks before an extended period of refinement in a single first-fill Spanish oak butt to grant this whisky its elegant complexity.

With a rich amber colour and an ABV of 43.6%, it boasts complex aromas of sea spray that the ‘Maritime Malt’ is renowned for. On the palate, delicate vanilla and sweet cinnamon pastry come to the fore with a smooth, fine-textured taste featuring Scottish tablet and dark chocolate, ending with a finish of clotted cream.

Taking its name from the steadfast North Star, Polaris is a never-to-be-repeated showpiece that has been crafted, matured, and inspired by the rugged Caithness coastline. It reflects Old Pulteney’s enduring spirit, shaped by the elements and deeply rooted in its coastal home.

This remarkable 47yo whisky is housed within a hand-blown, deep blue glass bottle designed and crafted by Glasstorm, which evokes the tempestuous waves of the North Sea. The bottle is then encased within a dramatic revealing Caithness slate structure from Norse Stone, symbolising the enduring cliffs that guard the distillery. Silver and copper detailing by local jeweller Lucy Woodley completes this striking tribute to place and provenance.

At the base of the bottle, a secret copper disc is revealed — reclaimed from an Old Pulteney still, offering an unprecedented opportunity to own a piece of this iconic distillery’s heritage.

This truly exceptional 1.5 litre showpiece comes with a 100ml tasting sample.

Tasting Notes

Provided by Jonny McCormick:

Rich amber with burnished gold highlights. The first wave of aromas breaks from the glass to invigorate the senses with sea spray, molasses cake, nutmeg, leather, oak char, and cacao. Like plunging your nose deep inside the cask, notes of ozone, vanilla pod, resinous oak, Brazil nut, and espresso foam emerge, backed with hints of baked apple, barmbrack, and peppermint. It’s a perfect fusion of the elements, bringing together the heart of the ocean with a heart of oak. With hallmarks of great maturity, such surefooted and memorable olfactory pleasures cannot be rushed. This dram dances on the tongue, silky smooth and fine-textured, a melange of Scottish tablet, soft oak, and vibrant, tangy citrus peel, teasing the taste buds with little bursts of fruit that ebb and flow amid a rolling tide of ocean-lashed oak. Roasted citrus notes evolve, anchored by a firm minerality that enriches the flavour, plotting a course between grilled pineapple, cherry and almond cake, and a hint of gingersnap, before gliding into a deep pool of dark chocolate, coffee, supple oak, and chopped nuts, and sinking into a satisfying finish of clotted cream, white chocolate, and nutmeg.