Review 215: Pulteney 9 yo, bottled for The Good Spirits Company, 55% ABV, 2023 release

Let’s talk store picks…

…because it’s quite common to see this sort of thing in the US of A, but somewhat less so over here in Europe. In the US, particularly in liquor store chains the likes of Total Wine (with over 240 stores in about 27 US states one of the larger ones), or those focussing on one state (eg.  the Florida based  ABC chain who own well over 100 stores across the state), it’s quite common practice to see so called ‘store picks’, ‘barrel selects’, ‘private barrels’ or ‘barrel picks’– which tend to be single casks  picked by that store to be bottled for that specific store, but often as one off versions of already existing and established expressions – like an Elijah Craig barrel proof private barrel or a Buffalo Trace Store pick. And it’s not just the big chains and stores who do these, from what I gather.

When you think about it, these store picks are a bit of a grey area between official and indie releases,  maybe a description like ‘officially endorsed indie releases’ fits the bill best.  As the concept of independent bottlers isn’t really common practice in the US, it’s arguably the closest comparison to what we would consider indie releases. Of course, we have Gordon & MacPhail’s ‘licensed bottlings’ which serve as officially approved releases for those distilleries that don’t really do official releases, but with the store picks in the US these bottlings tend to be presented in the same way as the official releases (same bottle design, same label…) of whatever distillery it is they’re coming from.

If you’re a true afficionado, I think this is an absolutely brilliant, geeky way to compare two of a kind – an official, available core range next to an official 1 off release – and see what’s what and I would love to see that practice taking root over here as well. If only to see how much ‘leeway’ some of those big brands would allow when it comes to straying away from what they consider their signature profile. It would be a delicate exercise, bottling something from a single cask with an official label on it, as it would need to be recognisable yet also different for it to be of any interest to the discerning customer.

Now, don’t get me wrong, having ‘store picks’ over here in Europe isn’t uncommon at all, except the way we know and understand them is quite different. Occasionally, we might stumble upon an official release from a (Scotch) distillery, bottled for a certain store or chain of stores (I remember there being a few Glenfaraclasses that were bottled for ‘Bel Bev’, a chain of  some 20 stores  operating in the Belgian market), but more often than not, if we see whisky being bottled for a certain store, chances are it’ll be through independent bottlers or brokers providing the casks. Even store picks for  a chain as big and ubiquitous in the Netherlands as Gall & Gall, tend to be the result of a collab with, more often than not, Signatory. To briefly explain what Gall & Gall is: it’s essentially a chain of liquor stores connected to/owned by Albert Heijn, which in turn is one of the largest, if not the largest,  supermarket chains in the Netherlands with over 1100 supermarket stores. Because of the Dutch law prohibiting beverages containing more than 20% alcohol  (I think it’s 20%, but it  could be 18% or 22%, I’m not sure) to be sold in supermarkets (probably to biggen the threshold towards minors, preventing them from having easy access to strong liquor) about half of these AH stores will in their immediate vicinity also have a Gall & Gall store. That’s 550 connected booze shops  in a relatively small country like the Netherlands – how’s that for a chain? 

In the case of Belgium, chances are  that these ‘specially selected for… (fill in name of store/whisky club/ festival here) will have come from either an indie, or from indie that’s been imported by The Nectar (Belgium’s biggest importer of official releases and indie bottlers alike, alongside dozens of gin, rum, brandy and other spirits. They also host Spirits in the Sky, one of the biggest annual spirits festival of Belgium).

So it seems that, regardless of size and market share, if you want to bottle something for a special occasion, say the 10th anniversary of your shop or club, or for your festival, chances are you’ll be dealing with at least a few middlemen before it actually makes it to your shelves.

I don’t know what the situation is in your country, but I look forward to learning about it in the comments.

All this just to paint a picture…

Pulteney 9 yo, bottled for The Good Spirits Company, 55% ABV, 2023 release, £89.

Of course, I can only guess how it worked for The good Spirits Company in Glasgow. For all I know they could well have a direct line to either Old Pulteney or Inver House. But seeing how they too are a relatively small scale operation with 2 shops in downtown Glasgow and 1 just outside the city centre, I’m guessing that when it comes to store bottlings, they don’t tend to buy casks by the lorryload, but rather go through indies and brokers when on the lookout for something like this. It would certainly releave them (as well as the official brand, for that matter) from the burden of having to bottle something customers could identify and recognise from that brand, and offer something that, in theory, could be completely off the wall and miles away from official releases in terms of flavour profile. Some distilleries will ask/demand that the distillery name isn’t mentioned on the label, in which case we’ll see something like ‘secret Orkeney’ or ‘Whiteclaw’ when it comes to Highland Park, or the ‘Secret Speyside (M)’ releases in the 100 proof series from Signature that are unofficially confirmed to be Macallans, but in most cases, they tend not to bother with this sort of thing. But in a way, it makes sense. After all, the difference between some official releases and their independent ‘alternatives’ can be staggering. Take something like (again) Highland Park, Tullibardine or Glenrothes for example, where indie releases tend to be different (as in way better and definitely far more interesting) compared to many official releases. Indie bottlings of Old Pulteney, these days, don’t  come about in ready supply. Seeing how the distillery produces about or slightly under 1 million LPA that needs to cater to 6 core range expressions alongside some limited releases and possibly a few blends, it’s fair to assume there isn’t an awful lot to go about for independent bottlers and brokers. So just for that reason alone, this bottling has some merit and is of interest, because what a store pick actually is, or at least should be is saying: we, the staff from (insert name of store here) thought this was right up our alley, hope you enjoy it too. Apart from that, and this obviously applies to many if not all indie releases, they give us different takes on what official releases bring and offer, and therefore should well be embraced by genuine enthusiasts, especially when there aren't that many about.

Nose

Citrus, citrus, citrus and then some! Subtle, delicate, almost shy even. Some mineral notes and a mix of lactic/creamy/vanilla elements  with a grainy and malty touch to it. Give it time to open up and eventually it all comes together, suggesting something halfway between a pleasant orange sorbet and  some brine and salt and green apples. Add a drop of water and the green apples, the vanilla and the lactic notes become even more pronounced.

Palate

 To my surprise, things start off with a savoury – jammy note. Grainy & bready, while the citric and vanilla notes now settle for 2nd or even 3d fiddle. There’s hint of wood and oak, making for a chewy, medium-full mouthfeel. At 55%, (refill?) bourbon casks and under 10 years, it’s undeniably spirit driven, translating into a slightly peppery – briny ‘bite’, which I don’t mind. With the added water that spicy combo of brine and pepper remains, while  the citric note is allowed more room to make itself known.

Finish

Peppery and woody and quite clinging and long and only here that ‘clean’ salty/briny element I associate with Old Pulteney fully shines through.

Final thoughts

 An almost understated whisky at first, but looks and first impressions can be (and are) deceiving! Yes, it’s young and quite spirit driven, and while it’s not exactly a million miles away from my beloved and dearly missed Old Pulteney 17, this one doesn’t live in the same neighbourhood either. In any case, it showed me a side of Old Pulteney I wasn’t really familiar with so far, and I’m therefore happy (and grateful – cheers Nic!) to have tried it. This is an ‘interesting’ whisky, by which I mean it’s good to have around, showing what else a distillery like Pulteney can bring. With all the citrus, malty and apple notes I’ll argue it's best suited as a summer dram, and while I quite liked this one, I don’t (yet) love it. It’s perfectly fine and enjoyable, but I don’t necessarily feel anyone who owns a full bottle would feel a need to replace it either, if that makes sense? The kind of whisky you like to pour blind to throw some  of your fellow aficionado’s (or yourself) off guard in a flight? Something that can both be enjoyed casually but would also work if you feel like getting up close and personal, without it asking too much difficult questions: that sort of thing.