OB WK209 Good Hope 46% - Old Pulteney

[archfluke]

Nose - burnt tires (uh oh), raisins, dry sherry, sodden wood, merest hint of Chinese 5 spice

Taste - very drying and fruity, waft of smoke somewhere in the mix. Lots of grape - sweet, dry and in no way cloying. Cinnamon, anise and hints of coffee. Salt and vanilla. You can definitely taste the Pulteney spirit in there, but this is some monstrous sherry. Much better with water, creamier and more subtle.

Finish - dry, dry and more dry. As with most Pulteneys I've had, a lovely long and elegant finish but the huge sherry spoils things a little for me. The waxy citrus character I like is muted by the cask - this is in no way a bad whisky but it's probably the my least favourite OB I've had from Pulteney. Nice smoky hint to the end of things with some sharp and tart peppery spice.


Picked up a WK499 from duty free when I bought this, and this is a distant second in terms of quality. It's not bad by any stretch, but I'm not sure the inherent characteristics of the Pulteney spirit are shown in their best light under all that sherry.