Old Pulteney WK209 “Good Hope” 46% (distillery pre production sample)

Old Pulteney WK209 ‘Good Hope’
• Follows a highly successful WK499 ‘Isabella Fortuna’ as Old Pulteney’s travel retail offering
• Limited to only 1,600 cases (of 6 x 1 litre bottles)
• Unchill-filtered, natural colour
• Bottled at 46% ABV
• Matured entirely in European sherry casks
• Named after a steam Herring Drifter WK209 ‘Good Hope’ built in Wick in 1948, first boat in Wick to use echo sounder

Malt and honey on the nose to start although the malt is of the ‘dusty’ variety like when you scoop a handful of dry malt from the kiln. There‘s also a little meatiness in the background just behind some leather notes and then moments of clove, but just moments. A little hand warming intensifies the afore mentioned characteristics nicely. The taste is brilliantly honeyed and malty at the same time with just hints of the leather which is now some really good oak spice and cocoa. This is very nice, the oak spice, cocoa, honey, sherry and malt work really well together.  Ah, some orange notes also. The finish consists of blasts sweet sherried malt quickly followed by the other notes, it is quite long and it holds together very well and after a number of minutes the malt and the orange notes are the last impression.

Very drinkable and moreish.

Score 88 points