The Curious Bartender by Tristan Stephenson

Author:Tristan Stephenson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ryland Peters & Small
Published: 2017-02-01T05:00:00+00:00

OLD PULTENEY

Pulteneytown, now part of Wick on the far northeast coast of Scotland, was purpose-built in 1810 by the British Fisheries Society to leverage the huge opportunity presented by nearby herring stocks and a homeless workforce. Named after the chief protagonist in the town’s creation, Sir William Pulteney, the Old Pulteney Distillery was set up in 1826 by James Henderson, who had previously run a nearby whisky-making operation for circa 30 years. The inaccessibility of the town meant that both barley and finished whisky were shipped in and out by sea, and most of the employees were also fishermen. Self-sufficiency was the key to survival, and that seasoned determination was reflected in the distillery’s ability to endure the whisky downturn, along with two wars and economic depression. Having thousands of thirsty fishermen helped too, of course, but that created its own problems in 1922, when a state of prohibition was enacted, heavily lobbied for by the Wick Salvation Army Group, whose chieftain was the aptly named ‘Captain Dry’. Rather unsurprisingly, the distillery closed, and until 1939 herring were the only pickled creatures that you’d find in Wick.

Get into the guts of this distillery and if prizes were being given out for peculiar-looking distillation apparatus, Old Pulteney would almost certainly win a double gold. The wash still has a grossly oversized ‘boil ball’ and a flat top, giving the effect of a giant copper snowman wearing an elongated fez. There’s a purifier on the spirit still, and like a whirlpool, it whips the vapours around in a copper and chemical maelstrom, before plunging them into cold worm tubs for condensation. Alfred Barnard described the stills in 1886 as ‘of the oldest pattern known, similar to the old smuggler’s kettle.’

Weird stills means weird new make, and in this instance we’re talking oily, briny, sulphury and full of all fruity maritime aromas. This lends itself nicely to the confined space of an oak cask and it means that old Old Pulteney is really rather delicious stuff, redolent of sea foam, salt-caked fruit and old waxed leather.

NAVIGATOR

A big blast of blackberry jam on an initial sniff that gives way to biscuit, honey and brown sugar, turning the jam into a crumble. Water reveals orangeade and a touch of rose. On the palate it’s a bracing salted-citrus accent that wins over, lingering to some wood vanilla and just a hint of bitterness.

17-YEAR-OLD

A more complete package. The heady sweetness of Crunchy Nut corn flakes lurks about this glass. There’s plenty of malty honey to supplement it, too. The distinct pear aroma couples nicely with this, but there’s honeydew melon, as well as crystallized citrus-fruit slices and a clean, soapy note once water is added. On the palate there’s granola, vanilla fudge and a long honey/cereal finish.

21-YEAR-OLD

Smoked lemon and tonic water quickly emerge from this surprisingly clean and crisp-smelling dram, but water reveals a tinned pineapple fruit salad. On the palate it is thick and oily, like trawler engine grease splattered with saltwater. The finish is the

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