Review by: The Muskox

This is a special one: a new distillery for me, a new dead distillery at that, and one of the oldest scotch whiskies I’ve ever tried. Pittyvaich didn’t operate for long, opening 1975 and closing for good in 1998. It’s since been demolished, and doesn’t seem to be too sorely missed, unlike its sisters Brora, Rosebank, and Port Ellen.

This was one of last year’s Diageo Special Releases. In the previous two years, they’d done a 28 and 29 year old, both entirely refill-matured, but this year they’ve added a finish in fresh bourbon barrels to spice things up a bit.

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Distillery: Pittyvaich.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 50.8%. Cask strength.

Age: 30 years. Distilled in 1989. Bottled in 2020.

Cask type: First-fill bourbon barrel finish.

Price: $664 CAD.

Color: Bright gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Gentle and perfumed. Smells like I’ve walked into an old-fashioned candy shop – there’s sticky caramel, bubblegum, Turkish delight, and a variety of waxy gummies. Fragrant vanilla-poached pear, tangerine, pomelo, banana, mango, and Saskatoon berry pie (I had a slice last week!). Soft barley sugar, dried flowers, and powdered ginger. Slightly herbal and peppery, maybe thyme. Some old wood and fresh leather.

Palate: Medium texture. Sweet-tart fresh fruit on the arrival (citron, white cherries, lime juice, sea buckthorn), then perfumed and richly malty. It descends into deep thick oak and spices on the development. Punky wood, musty earth, unsweetened cocoa powder, and some savoury dried mushrooms. There’s a malty herbal bitterness that really brings strong beer to mind. Some pillowy sweeter notes emerge, with toasted (charred) marshmallow, nougat, and vanilla.

Finish: Long and bittersweet. The heavy oak slowly starts lifts back into flowers and burnt sugar. More fragrant notes of Earl Grey tea, lavender, rosemary, licorice, and mixed citrus peels. Caramel, lime, banana, and a little pineapple. Some toasted pine nuts and milk chocolate. Lingering antique furniture and a hint of sea salt. Slightly green and sappy.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Grandma’s margarita party boat”

Conclusion: I wasn’t so hot on this at first, but it won me over as I slowly sipped over the course of an hour. That heavy oak bitterness got rounder, the strong perfume notes seemed more integrated, and the nose got deeper and fruitier. The last sip was the best! That said, it does seem to fall short of recent experiences with old Blair Athol, Glenturret, and Longmorn. I’d have enjoyed those tropical notes to be more prominent, but instead the perfume and oak are running the show. It’s still got great complexity and a nice long finish. I think it’s a very good whisky, but not quite a great one.

That SMWS name is based on a true story, by the way.

Final Score: 86.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.