Worth the money? | Old Pulteney 18 REVIEW

[@ADSCP]

I must say that 15 year old is becoming my favorite and most reliable age for single malts.

[@Northernbreed1738]

Great review - thanks! The pillow smack cracked me up.

[@Gwhisky]

Hah thanks for watching Doug!

[@paulfarrell4039]

My favourite distillery. I agree the 15 is the sweet spot. I believe they are non-chill filtered based on quickly they cloud with water. Thought the 17 and 21 cloud slightly quicker. I still have a 17, 21 and 25 plus an SV14 yo Cask Stength on the shelf here in Thailand, saving them till i get cancer 😂

[@toddcraw4127]

The rumor is that old Pultney could no longer source the really good casks that they used traditionally and it was such a change to their spirit that they (to their credit) changed the lineup. I still have an open bottle of the 21-year-old and I bought a couple 17-year-olds when I heard it was being discontinued.

[@SaltyCuban]

I still have a couple of both. I had the 17 and thought it was good but not sure it was worth the hype. The 21 I never opened. Anyhow my last one was purchased for $150

[@Gwhisky]

Interesting! I've also heard there were good reasons for the change, and it was motivated more by necessity than greed. Fair play to them. Still, the old line is missed. You were smart to grab some bottles while you could. Cheers! 🥃

[@toddcraw4127]

@@SaltyCuban OP is a very interesting small distillery and the 17, 21 and 25 are really solid above average whisky with a unique profile. I don't think they are earth-shattering but nice to have. I never loved the 12 because the 40% kills it honestly. I am sure the new lineup is ok but I am happy with the old 17 and when it is gone I will have the memories. The sad thing is that modern production creates good but not great whisky. The floor is higher but the ceiling is lower now...

[@Dan-hn1lx]

Old Pulteney is a great distillery its a light salty caramel and vanilla and sometimes lemon and light citrus. Its different and that's why its a good drop. Great review mate

[@Gwhisky]

Thanks Dan. Appreciate the kind words and glad you hear you're a Pulteney fan!

[@Alex-pr6zv]

Good points. There is little difference in cask maturity between a 15-year-old and an 18-year-old. Yet distillers seem to treat the number 18 like three bars on a slot machine and charge jackpot prices for barley juice that might not even be better.

[@Gwhisky]

Some 18s are a substantial step up from their 15 year old counterparts and some aren't. I suppose that comes down the skill of the master distiller and the quality of the spirit and casks. But I agree, they're definitely overcharging for 18s nowadays.

[@nealbruce5914]

The 18 is 150 in my market and the 15 is 99. You answered my question! Thank you!

[@Gwhisky]

Cheers! 🥃

[@wouterblom7569]

Hi Geoff, good review. The only OP I have tried so far from the ‘new’ range is the 12yo, and that one is inferior to the ‘old’ 12yo, sadly. I loved the 17 and especially the 21yo. Interesting remark you made about Bourbon casks, as I think the Pulteney distillate itself is very characterful. One to look out for from the independent bottlers, I guess.

[@Gwhisky]

Hi Wouter. Agree, Pulteney is a good IB to look out for. I'll be doing just that! I'm also working on a bottle of the new 12, and it's certainly gone downhill, unfortunately. Once again, we're in a agreeance. Cheers!

[@mariusfourie4]

Some time ago I bought the 21 year old (when it still had the light brown tin box). I really loved it. When I got close to finishing the bottle, I tried to buy another one only to find that for the time it was discontinued (as they were switching to the green tin box which wasn't locally available yet at that time). I got word from someone in another city that their local shop still has one on the shelf. I drove to that city (about 60km) to buy it and found 2 on the shelf. Bought both and now I'm so glad I did because one of them is still unopened.

[@Gwhisky]

Jackpot! Nice find! 🥃

[@jameszimmerman8701]

Great review as always. I’m an Old Pulteney fan ( i think if the 12 yr was 46% abv their new line would be considerably forgiven). The 15 is on my list to replace as it was wonderful. I have never seen the 18 yr in my market but briefly when they shuffled their range. Fortunately I have a 17 yr old stashed for a rainy day😋. Epically great! You mentioned ancnoc. I have a 2002 vintage which is 15 years old and wonderful. I prefer it to the pulteney (usually) depending upon my mood. Thanks for the great reviews! You’ve been extremely busy!

[@Gwhisky]

Glad you stashed away a 17. I wish I had done the same! And I'm happy to hear you enjoyed the 15. The new line gets a lot of hate. The new 12 isn't great, but both the 15 and the 18 are fantastic. Sadly the 18 is overpriced and none of the new release can match those from the old line. Still, very solid whiskies. The 15 is the sweet spot in the line, imo. I'm more of an AnCnoc guy than a Pulteney guy myself. I've been told some of their vintage releases are fantastic. I'll be on the lookout!

[@robertpoldervaart9552]

It is a shame the 12 y old is 40% and chillfiltered. If they raise the price i would be ok with it at 46% non-chillfiltered.

[@cato451]

I just finished a bottle of this a few weeks ago. I think I bought it about three or four years ago. I enjoyed it very much.

[@Gwhisky]

Glad you liked it. It's good stuff. It would certainly have been worth the money a few years back. Cheers!

[@aframs-cctaf-rams-cct6424]

Funny. I like the discontinued idea!

[@Gwhisky]

Hah yeah thinking about it! 🥃

[@kevinnordby4808]

I picked up the Huddart and totally loved it, the slight touch of peat in it is really a winner for me. Based on that I picked up a bottle of the 15 and it is also one that I will be keeping stocked. The 18 is way too expensive in my market so that one will be staying on the store shelf.

[@Gwhisky]

Still haven't tried the Huddart. Sounds interesting! 🥃

[@jasonwest9425]

You convinced me to try it. I disliked 15 at first but it grew on me as it opened up. By the end I really liked it. I’ve had this one in view for a long time.

[@Gwhisky]

Funny I had exactly the same experience with the 15. I didn't like it until I did. Thoroughly enjoyed the 2nd half of the bottle.

[@dairyyang5457]

Great video! My first Old Pulteney experience is the new line, and its coastal style really impresses me. Previously I had a chance to try the discontinued legendary 17yo at a bar, damn, THAT is true coast, volume max! Beautiful and unique bourbon style I've ever tried! New Pulteney is more speysidy, and I like it, just as you mention: Old Pulteney is toooo good.

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah I guess if you don't remember the older ones, then you're going to be pretty happy with newer Pulteney. It's genuinely still good whisky. Glad you got a chance to try the old 17 though. The 21 is something worth trying to if you can find it at a bar. New stuff is good, the old stuff is GREAT! Hah. Thanks for the bottle, buddy!

[@DJMJRyder]

The single casks from old pulteney at cask strength are exceptional, definitely worth looking out for

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah I'm sure IB Pulteney is the way to go nowadays. Not something I see to often. I'll be on the lookout for any. Cheers!

[@KMerrells]

Given how much scotchflation there has been, it really doesn't seem like there are many 18 year old bottles that are worth it... all the better for my budget - I'll keep enjoying the 15!

[@Gwhisky]

I suppose it works out for our wallets that the 15s are better sometimes!

[@ironmantran]

Thanks a mill - how timely of a vid ! ! - - - and YES ! SPeyburn 15 pleeeeeze ! ! ! - - - aye, most 18 in Canada is now 2x (double) the 15 ! !

[@Gwhisky]

Hah Speyburn should be out within the next couple months. Cheers!

[@peathead4450]

Decent and honest review, Geoff. Haven't had this one, but might give it a try.... if it weren't so expensive. Slàinte mhath

[@Gwhisky]

Hah thanks Peathead. Yeah the 18 is a bit too expensive, but the 15 is pretty much as good and is better priced. Cheers!

[@sowlegwhiskyreview5501]

Uh, a fellow non-Deanston-worshipper😂 I think you are spot on here. The new Old Pulteney line is good whisky, but the old lineup was legendary. That will always be difficult to replace.

[@m.andre824]

I'm sure you'll be doing a Highland Park 18 review soon but do consider the Cask Orkey 18 as well. It's apparently Highland Park but with slightly less sherry influence and more importantly, craft presented!

[@Gwhisky]

It's available, yes, but hard to come by. I've heard good things about the CO18. You're right, I will be looking at the HP18, but the one I've got is the travel retail at 46%. Good stuff. Cheers.

[@Themilkmanskid.]

Feb 2022 I tried a tasting of this at a liquor store(yes I'm a nerd and keep receipts and a few notes😄) and wow, it was amazing how the malted barley flavor came through so nice! Grabbed one of the 2 bottles on the shelf immediately, but didn't check the bottling age of the tasting one or the one I bought. On opening it at home sometime later, all I could smell and taste was bourbon and no malted barley. I didn't worry much, because I figured that bourbon scent and flavor may go away in time. It didn't throughout the bottle and it just killed what is the most important flavor of a malt to me, the barley malt. Consistency changes I guess, but as far as a dram goes, that is unacceptable when you pay the big bucks only to get what you didn't get from the sample tasting. If I liked bourbon, maybe the newer bottle would have been ok, but this was an awful surprise. Excellent review and thanks much as always for reviewing! Cheers!🥃

[@Gwhisky]

Sorry to hear you were disappointed. That's happened to me before. You sample, you love, you buy, you take it home and pop it only to realize that a lot of the interesting flavours you liked in the sample aren't there. Definitely annoying!

[@peterruffolo700]

Hi Geoff, solid review as always! I actually ordered a bottle of OP 18 last Thursday for 192$ as soon as it became available here. I had a bottle of OP 12 back in 2015 which I quite enjoyed but never got around to trying their other releases that were available back then. Sounds like I missed out on some amazing stuff 😞Based on your review it sounds like this will be a scotch that will hit many of the right notes for my palate. As far as 18 year old single malts go, this is actually one of the very few available here that is still under 200$ while having an abv of 46% or higher. The only other ones I can think of are Loch Lomond 18 at 118$ and Arran 18 at 168$ when they were available a few months ago. Then there's bottles like Highland Park 18 (43% abv) which was 183$ last year then went up to 200$ in July and has jumped up to 231$ 2 weeks ago!!! As much as I found HP 18 to be very layered and delicious, these sudden price jumps are excessive. My only consolation is that overall our prices here at the SAQ in Montreal are still cheaper than at the LCBO.

[@Gwhisky]

Damn HP18 shot up! Not worth it anymore, especially with the abv. Glad to hear the OP18 is "affordable" back home, by SAQ standards. If you do grab it I hope you enjoy it Peter. I know I sounded a bit harsh in this video but it's legitimately nice stuff.

[@peterruffolo700]

@@Gwhisky The already high prices here are just getting higher and putting some good whisky out of the reach of your average or curious buyer. I keep thinking it could be a good idea for the industry to release more affordable formats like 500ml for 30% less for example? They could also ditch the additional packaging (tins, fancy boxes) for these formats to further reduce both cost and waste. This would make good sense especially for older bottlings or special releases since it would increase availability while lowering the cost to the consumer. If given the option, I'd be more likely to pick up a 500ml bottle over a 750ml especially when it's one I've never tried. This way if you want the "prestige" of getting a fancy bottle with all the ornate packaging you can buy the 750ml, but if all you really care about is the actual whisky in the bottle you can get the more affordable 500ml. Anyways, that's my 2 cents. Getting back to the OP 18, maybe the fact that I never had the OP 17 will allow me to appreciate the 18 on it's own merits without having the fond memories of that prior release to compare it to? I'll also keep an eye out for the 15 since that's your bang for buck pick! Cheers! 🥃

[@WhiskeyStraightAl]

Not had a great experience of trying OP, but I do have a sample of this one I've yet to try. Cheers Geoff.

[@Gwhisky]

It's good, if a little flawed. I think it's solid stuff, but I'd live to hear your take on it! 🥃

[@alexandermitev5189]

once again thax for another great review Geoff i hadnt had the 15 but i really like the 18 op but i have to agree its bit pricy!in germany and austria we have a new 15y op that has a very strong sherry influence and is super super dark(planing to get my hands on it at some point!)

[@Gwhisky]

Glad you like the 18. The 15 is a better alternative. It's similar enough and it's cheaper. As for the 15, I've never heard of it, but I do have a much darker and more sherried 16 year old sitting on my shelf. That's one's a travel retail exclusive. It's good!

[@eviltrain24]

Great review. I've had the new Pulteney 12 and have yet to look into the 15 or 18. This is going to clinch my decision I think. On the matter of the old line: I recently walked into my local whisky shop and they brought out a bunch of mini's of the Old Pulteney 12 yr... the 43% one... with the old label. ... ... ...riiight? I was shocked myself. So, I snatched up 2 and did a quick taste review and boy howdy is that just clearly superior to the new 12. I can basically understand why Whisky Mystery decided it was one of their top 10% bottles they've had. I've put a hard stop on any new whisky buys until May 2023, but I think I'm going to go back and buy enough of the mini's to make a full bottle (gonna use an empty Bladnoch 10 bottle lol). Hopefully I can talk them down in price because $6 a pop.

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah the old 12 was definitely better than the new one, which I'm rather indifferent to. I'll be reviewing it soon enough, but yeah... not impressed. Glad you found a supply of the older stuff. Enjoy! 🥃

[@Nikolay_Nikolov]

Nice review, Geoff. Informative and honest. As with the vintage series of Balblair I have missed the glorious 17 and 21 yo Old Pulteney too. The contemporary core range has never been of particularly huge interest for me because of the reserved feedback and steep pricing. In Bulgaria the 15 yo costs roughly 66.50 euros and the 18 yo is around 112 euros. While the 15 yo price is somewhat bearable the 18 yo is clearly overpiced IMHO. Currently the best priced, well presented 18 yo malts in Bulgaria are Loch Lomond (66 euros on special sale, 81 euros regular price), Speyburn (76 euros, only 15 euros over the 15 yo) and Glen Moray (69 euros). Oh, there is also the Rock Oyster for roughly 82 euros. Everything else with 18 on the label commands prices of 100 and above euros. Given the current market state the age of 14-16 euros seems to be the oldest I can get any malt whisky at reasonable price. Unfortunately there are zgaps in this partucular bracket in the ranges of many distilleries. Cheers!

[@Gwhisky]

I'm curious if you've tried the three 18 year olds you discussed. I've yet to pull the trigger on the Glen Moray, but it's one I've been thinking about. I've also never had a full bottle of the Speyburn or the Loch Lomond 18. All of them have been considerations.

[@Nikolay_Nikolov]

@@Gwhisky No, I haven't bought any of those 18 yo, but they are on the list. In all fairness I don't expect any of them to be out of this world good, but just solid, well presented, reasonably priced 18 yo malts. Out of the three I think Speyburn has the best chance to be bought first😀 I'm out of space for my whisky and have to plan my purchases more precisely. And the market, besides the price hikes, doesn't collaborate either and is constantly pushing new bottles out. I have just missed the Bunna 12 cask strength, which was available at one retailer, but frankly don't care. Right now, my eye is on Timorous Beastie 21, a bottle of Foursquare rum, vintage 2005, from their Exceptional Cask series and also Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. Plus November is coming with the special sales Black Friday, etc. It aint easy at all being whisky enthusiast😀

[@allanwhittle3041]

Mr G Amazing set of coincidences , yesterday I ordered another OP 15 ..a long time staple and also the 18 , which I have sampled against the 15 a few times and didn’t think it massively better for a whole chunk more cash , so why order it ?..I didn’t changed my mind and deleted , ordered a Speyburn 15 instead , not tried this before 🤣🤣 I just know the OP 18 is not worth it , yet I almost ordered it , wanted to order it ..But finally saw sense . As usual a Great review sir ..look forward to your Speyburn 15 opinions , that’s a cheap one here in the UK £50’so if it’s good ..It’s a winner 👍

[@Gwhisky]

Hah seems my review is well-timed! I think you made the right call swapping the Pulteney 18 out for the Speyburn 15. You'll end up with a better whisky for it. Cheers Allan!

[@juanmlsanabria]

I just recently tried the 21, and it is amazing, it is unfortunate that it is not available anymore. I love the 12 yo but actually the couple of Bottles i've owned have been from the previous bottling, so actually haven't tried any of new line up. Cheers bud🥃

[@Gwhisky]

Lucky you! It's been years since I had any of the 21. Gorgeous stuff. The modern 12 is just ok. I'm going off of memory, but I think I preferred the older version. Cheers my friend!

[@dextercool]

How would you compare this to Ancnoc 18? Clearly different drams but in terms of bang for the buck. Cheers 🥃

[@Gwhisky]

AnCnoc!

[@robertpoldervaart9552]

I saw a batch of the 15y which is very sherried. I really do not like Pulteney to be swamped with sherry when they are going to that direction.

[@Gwhisky]

Agree. They're better off as a bourbon-forward profile. The sherry works fine, but I prefer it when the distillate shines.

[@DileepB]

The 15 is good enough for me!

[@Gwhisky]

Me too!

[@daveandrews5485]

The web site gives nothing away in terms of colouring and chill filtration so I think its probably safe to assume this its and filtered!

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah I want to give them the benefit of the doubt, but you're probably right.

[@welshtoro3256]

You're not alone in thinking Deanston isn't great. I'm not surprised this is a good whisky but it's not as good as the old 17 I'll wager, let alone the 21 it replaced. I enjoyed the 17 as much as the 21 if I'm honest. The issue of whether or not to pay more for older age statements is quite an issue in the whisky world today. There are numerous 18 year old bottlings (and older) which are only marginally better but significantly more expensive than younger expressions.

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah the jump in price simply can't be justified a lot of the time. After the recent price hikes I decided to review all my 18s now. I expect that moving forward 18 year olds will be of less interest to a lot of people who no longer see them as viable buying options.

[@MrChristopherMolloy]

I can find Old Pulteney 18 for about $130, which I just can't justify. Seriously consider Glen Moray 18 for about $100 if you can find it.

[@Gwhisky]

Hah I haven't forgotten!

[@scnullois]

Respectfully relaly disagree that the Speyburn 18 is not worth the step up. it is way way more complex and interesting than it's 15 Year sibling.

[@Gwhisky]

To be fair, I may have been too dismissive of it in the video. I've only sampled the 18 and I've not had a full bottle. Several people have encouraged me to give the 18 a second chance. I might just do that. Cheers!

[@MaltDaddy]

Good thing it was not an empty whisky bottle thrown your way haha

[@Gwhisky]

Or even worse... a full one!

[@catnapgee5357]

Completely different animals, but if you were to compare this to the Benromach 15 .. which would you prefer?

[@Gwhisky]

Easy. Benromach 15. 🥃

[@catnapgee5357]

@@Gwhisky The wise response

[@ronjuliana3720]

Truly a seventeen year old is simply amazing. And due to the fact that we still have these bottles in Israel in some stores - I won't buy an eighteen year old just yet... Maybe sometime in the future, we're still young! Excellent review. Thanks 👋🏻

[@Gwhisky]

You're very lucky to still have the 17 around. It's been years since I saw it here! Absolutely no need for the 18 then! Cheers Ron.

[@ronjuliana3720]

@@Gwhisky Well, they want $135 for it...

[@Gwhisky]

@@ronjuliana3720 Oof. That's a lot.

[@jackthepickledhound]

I am so ambivalent about old Pulteney.... The prices are right in there with the pack. A little less then GlenAllachie and more then Glen Moray. I bought a bottle of 43% 12 year old that was very well priced but I haven't cracked it open yet. I think I just put that into the On-deck position. I think all the luke warm reviews stuck in my head. But if you were to have quizzed me I would not have said this was 46%, so that's very good news. Three years at 50% increase doesn't make sense. I am beginning to see the value in age but 18 is just not enough from Scotland. It's nice but it's not that old. I feel like the perspective of my personal budget is getting less realistic this year. The prices are increasing and they are now allowing 70cl bottles in the US. My tastes are leaning towards mid-aged independent bottles so that's more money and $200 is the ceiling. These are all contradictory ideas making the Old Pulteney at $82 seem reasonable.

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah it's a hard tightrope to walk. Older whiskies aren't always better, but they often are. They definitely offer a different experience. How much is that experience worth? The unjustly is definitely testing the upper limits of that question. I'll be enjoying what's left of the numerous 18s that I've picked up over the years. Very few will be replaced at today's prices.

[@jackthepickledhound]

@@Gwhisky I expected this journey to show me the one whisky to keep in my decanter by the leather wingback chair. NOT! Instead I need more shelves. If the prices keep going up my inventory may go down. There are still a lot of good/interesting bottles out there even without much mail-order. I don't like having more than a dozen or 2 open at once so it'll be a slow go thru the collection. And with that I have no reason to buy the same thing again unless it's well priced and Whiskytube loves it.