Old Pulteney Distillery
Our story is inseparable from the sea and the bountiful opportunities it brought – forever intertwined not only with our maritime climate but with the community, heritage and spirit of our coastal home of Wick.
DISTILLING PROCESS
Water SourceSourced from Loch Hempriggs, the water we use is particularly pure and soft – perfect as an aid to the mashing and fermentation process. It is carried via a lade, which was designed and constructed by Scottish engineer Thomas Telford in 1807. Our distillery came a little later in 1826, but we still use that same lade to flow the water right into Pulteney Distillery.
Milling
Our 100-year-old Porteus mill processes five tonnes of local un-peated malt barley into grist every two and a half hours, getting through 160 tonnes in a 12-day cycle. Every tonne milled eventually produces the equivalent of 410 litres of alcohol spirit.
Mashing
Our semi-lauter mash tun has a capacity of 15,700 litres and efficiently mixes the grist with water over four cycles. The temperature is increased each time (starting at 68.5°C) to extract the most soluble sugars possible.
Fermentation
We have six stainless steel washbacks, and we fill each with 23,500 litres of soon-to-be spirit. The mash is mixed with dried yeast at a constant temperature of 17°C. Fermentation takes place slowly – usually in around 60 hours.
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Distillation
Our two large copper stills – a wash still and a spirit still – our wash still has a uniquely shaped boiling ball which has inspired the iconic shape of the bottle you see today. Once distilled, we use a traditional method of conveying the spirit through a worm tub condenser which turns the spirit back into liquid and adds strength to the flavour.
Maturation
We use American oak and Spanish oak casks on site in both traditional dunnage and racked warehouses where low temperature scales, high humidity and the surrounding sea air, shape the maturation, helping to give our whisky its unmistakable coastal character.
OUR HISTORY
The distillery was founded in 1826 by James Henderson and was named after the newly developed Pulteneytown area of Wick. At the time it was one (and still is) of the most northerly on the Scottish mainland, and due to a lack of conventional roads, was only accessible by sea. The raw barley was brought in by boat and the whisky was then shipped out by distillery workers who were also herring fishermen.
Prohibition
Throughout the 19th and early 20th century the herring fishing industry boomed, and Wick soon became Europe’s largest herring fishing port, attracting a huge influx of fishermen, gutters and packers looking for work. The small harbour town’s population almost quadrupled. After long shifts, the workers would frequent the many pubs and licenced bars of Wick, which unfortunately for the permanent residents, meant around-the-clock drunken and ‘uncouth’ behaviour spilling out into the streets.
In 1920 under the terms of the Temperance (Scotland) Act of 1913, the residents cast their votes, and the port – as well as others in Scotland including Kilsyth, Kirkintilloch and Lerwick – became ‘dry’. Every pub in town was boarded up and in 1930 Pulteney Distillery was closed for business.
Post War
The ban remained in force, even throughout the Second World War when many servicemen came through in need of a dram or two. Prohibition ended in 1947 and when the post-war demand for whisky increased, the site’s new owner, Robert ‘Bertie’ Cumming, decided to reopen Pulteney Distillery and production was eventually resumed in 1951.
The distillery underwent a major refurbishment in 1958 under new owner J&G Stodart Ltd, where the traditional floor maltings were decommissioned – the space is now occupied by our Visitor Centre.
The 1990s
Through acquisitions and changes in company structures, the distillery ended up with Allied Domecq, who in 1995, sold it to its present owners – Inver House Distillers. In 1997, the now-iconic Old Pulteney 12 Years Old was released, beginning a new era for Old Pulteney.
Old Pulteney Today
Today, the herring fishing industry has long since gone, but Pulteney Distillery remains steadfast.Our dedicated distillery team, led by Malcolm Waring, produce approximately 900,000 litres of single malt scotch whisky a year. Their dedication to their craft embodies the heritage, spirit and heart of Wick – every one of them proud to produce Old Pulteney, the Maritime Malt.
We invite you to visit us for a tour of Pulteney Distillery at our coastal home of Wick on the north-eastern shores of Scotland. Our tours provide both a fascinating insight into the workings of Pulteney Distillery and an opportunity to taste our range of single malt whiskies.
Follow the journey of our single malt, from its water source at Loch Hempriggs to the glass, and learn how Wick’s exceptional marine climate influences the spirit and unmistakable coastal character of Old Pulteney.
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