By
George Brozowski
This
scotch is a bit of a mystery and I love a bit of
a mystery as it allows me to don my Sherlock Holmes hat and
speak in a bad imitation of a British accent while pretending
to be over the top smart and witty in a way that no one appreciates.
And so it is with this latest offering from Old Pulteney,
their new scotch called the Navigator.
From
everything written on the bottle and on their website this
scotch is a single malt produced exclusively at their distillery
in Wick which is the northern most distillery in Scotland.
Scotch is normally made from barley but not exclusively, however
by regulation, a single malt scotch must be made exclusively
from malted barley and therefore I conclude this one is even
though it is never stated anywhere. The bottle and the website
go further into the fog by never stating any age for this
scotch but again by law a single malt scotch must be aged
for at least three years in oak casks, so I will jump to the
conclusion that this scotch is a youngster as far as aged
scotches go. Finally, opening up a bit, Old Pulteney
reveals that this Navigator is matured in bourbon and sherry
casks. All of this leads me to the inevitable conclusion that
the Lord of the Manor was murdered last Wednesday night on
the moor by the butler and his body was consumed by the Hound
of The Baskervilles thusly leaving no trace.
OK
so enough of jumping to conclusions, let's actually try this
scotch. The color is a very pale golden honey and comes in
a nautically themed bottle. The nose is a laid back peaty,
barely smoky combination of orange peels and cherry with a
touch of bourbon but not very deep and quite simply stated.
The palate starts off with a slight touch of the fruit; bananas
and oranges, but immediately goes smoky and leans towards
the bourbon and sherry. It finishes with the peaty smoke and
a nice touch of sea saltiness that lasts only a short time.
I've never tasted saltiness in the finish of a scotch before
so this is a new one on me! On the rocks the smokiness becomes
even more accented while the fruit flavors almost disappear.
This is a simple, young, decent scotch that most will find
interesting while incentivizing them to move up the Old
Pulteney line to their more complex and aged scotches.
You
can find Old Pulteney Navigator primarily
on the east and west coast for about $44.00 per 750ml bottle
at 46% ABV or 92 proof. This price puts it near the bottom
of the Old Pulteney line that tops out around $800.00 for
their 35 year old scotch but this is still a good starting
point.
For
more Rants & Raves click
here.
http://www.oldpulteney.com/