Historic Distilleries: Pittyvaich

Pittyvaich was one of the shortest lived distilleries in Scotland, at least in modern times, and they distilled only for 18 years, between 1975 and 1993, before being demolished in 2002. Pittyvaich was erected to be a sister distillery to neighboring Dufftown Distillery by owners Arthur Bell and Sons.Pittyvaich never released any Ob's except from one in Diageos Flora and Fauna-series which was bottled just two years prior too its mothballing in 1993. The more recent 20yo CS is of course bottled way after the distillery was closed. Pittyvaich also had a short runnin with the distillation of gin. The distillery's spirit and wash stills were modified to accomodate the production of gin and as it turned out, no one could tell the difference between the 'real' Gordon's and the one produced at Pittyvaich. As a result of this successful experiment, Gordon's Gin is now wholly produced in produced at Cameronbridge Distillery. As Caperdonich stills were exact copies of Glen Grants, so were Pittyvaich's stills exact copies of those at Dufftown Distillery.



Pittyvaich 12yo 1993-2005 43% Connoisseurs Choice Gordon & Macphail

From the last year of distillation at Pittyvaich. The fact that they bottled this after just 12years and in the CC-range might not be a good prospect, but lets keep an open mind. The color is white wine. It smells wheat, spirity, bitter, raw, clearly not very good cask or spirit, seems more like poor new-make than a 12yo. The taste is wheat, peppery, raw onions, pecan nuts, a bit austere, but most of all it's a superclean spirity profile. You could serve me this and tell me its triple distilled vodka and I'd believe them. The finish is peppery, gin, eau de cologne.

Clean spirity stuff, they one produced gin at Pittyvaich?: 4


Pittyvaich 25yo 1976-2001 43% Blackadder cask#8423

Distilled just one year after the distillery was built. I feel now at this point I must underline that there are great Pittyvaichs out there still, to an affordable price, so this is one to look out for. The color is white wine. It smells, once again, very clean and spirity, some vanilla, oak, tonic water, drying. The taste is sweet, heather, gingerbread, vanilla, spicy, wheat crackers. The finish is peppery, dry, hay, bay leaves, dried coriander.

Not far from the 1993, clean and spirity: 4


Pittyvaich 18yo 43% Blackadder

Third aggressively diluted Pittyvaich in a row, hopefully this will derive a bit from the first two. At first, the color is very different, hazel reddish. It smells extremely clean, some faint sherry notes, burnt, dark chocolate, tonic water and red paprika. Silence is often golden, but not necessarily in a whisky. The taste is peppery, bitter chocolate, coffee, rubber, spicy cinnamon, apple cores, waxy, wow! Just as I was starting to lose faith in this lost distillery, it shows great complexity. The finish is sweet, creamy, cinnamon, vanilla. Great stuff, the cask really intwines with the clean spirit here and gives a great result.

Sherry magic: 8


Pittyvaich 18yo 1990-2009 50% Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask cask#4823

Another 18yo, and by the bottler, this could just as well be another sherried one, but what impact will the higher %abv have? The color is amber orange. It smells leather, orange liqueur, dry red wine, oaky, butter, bacon crisps, malt syrup, malt vinegar, heather. The taste is burnt, heather, sugary, cinnamon, maize, ginger, tonic water, orange zest. I had a full bottle of this one back in the days, and remember it as very spirity. Now it seems to have opened much more by breathing in a miniature for a couple of years. The finish is rich, leather, mushrooms, peppery, stamp glue, old books, dusty. Water changes little in this one.

Easy and enjoyable, light sherried one: 5.5


Pittyvaich 18yo 1976-1994 53.3% Blackadder Limited Editions cask#15084 btl.58/120

First CS Pittyvaich in this session, let's hope for a good one. Seems Blackadder have bottled quite some Pittyvaichs, and I think the "Limited Editions" were a bit of a high end series. The color is golden. It smells peppery, spirity, bitter, wheat, potato starch, hops, soapy. hmm... Does Pittyvaich work without sherry impact? The taste is sweet, vanilla, peppery, spicy, bullet chili, raw ginger, raw garlic, a whisky with a real bite too it. Water added. Now it turns hazy right away. The taste mellows a bit, more vanilla, banana, honey, maize, sweet red berries, caramel, this one is definitively a swimmer. The finish is rich, creamy, biscuits, honey, peppery. Water makes this an elegant and fine dram, really showcases what difference a little water can make to an initially sub par whisky.

With water this is easily a: 7



#2

Pittyvaich 15yo 50% Old Malt Cask Douglas Laing

Seeing this, I think there are many young Pittyvaichs in this session, only one have passed 20yo. Maybe a bit unfair, but a great distillate will shine even at 6 or 7yo. The color on this one is pale golden, borderline white wine. I believe its from a bourbon cask, but I haven't got all the data on this bottling. It smells austere, spirity, clean, tropical fruits, papaya, mango, pears. Slight hints of vanilla and hay, but once again it reminds me of disinfection balm, the ones used in hospitals for cleaning your hands. The taste is spirity, wheat, oily, perfumy, cointreau, orange liqueur, vanilla, cinnamon, waxy, heather, one of the most complex palates I've found on a Pittyvaich. Lets add just a little drop of water to this. Now it turns more peppery, grassy, vegetal, this one can't handle water, enjoy it neat. The finish is peppery and bitter.

When neat, this whisky is fruity and complex: 6.5


Pittyvaich 12yo 54% James MacArthur's cask#15096

A strike of three young Pittyvaichs of nearly same age and strength in a row from James MacArthur's. I must assume they found the recipe for a successful bottling of Pittyvaich? The color on this is golden. Once again I'm just assuming it comes from a bourbon cask of some kind. It smells spirity, lemon, ginger, grapefruit, oranges, bitter leaves, coriander, kiwi, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, curry. The taste is sweet, dry, raisins, grapefruit, buttery, salty licorice, iodine, intense, butterscotch, leather, great salty fun. The finish is caramel, banana, coconut, ashes, burnt sugar, honey. If it wasn't for the complex salty, spicy licorice notes this would be just a tad too sweet, but it comes of as perfectly balanced.

Great complexity, another side of Pittyvaich altogether: 8.5


Pittyvaich 13yo 54.3% James MacArthur's

Just a bit older and stronger than the very good #15096. But I can't see any cask reference here, perhaps this is just a CS vatting of less good casks. I know some IB's does that to get rid of unwanted stock. The color on this one is light golden. It smells peppery, dry white wine, burnt sugar, potato starch, gingery, wheat, molasses spirit, wheat. The taste is honey, buttery, caramel, banana, apple pie, marzipan, green apples, maple syrup. Once again its a much richer and more complex whisky than most of the other ones in this session. Seems Pittyvaich, maybe even more so than other whiskies, needs to be bottled at CS to reach full potential. The finish is buttery, vanilla, dry sherry, cinnamon, iodine.

Another winner from Pittyvaich by J.McA: 8.5


Pittyvaich 14yo 54.4% James MacArthur's

Third one from J.McA, and it seems these three comes from pretty similar casks when you look at the age and strength. Let's hope the quality is the same on this one as well. The color is light golden. It smells honeyed, pistachio, vanilla, red onions, dried fruits, dried berries, vanilla, honey, a much sweeter variant than the past two, at least on the nose. The taste is sweet, salmi, licorice, vanilla, salty, iodine, a bit like the first Pittyvaichs of this session, but more classic bourbon style, less spirity so to speak. The finish is rich, creamy, sweet, honey, onions, gingerbread.

James MacArthur's, I think they've once again bottled an unlikely malt at its prime: 8.5


Pittyvaich 11yo 1977-1989 56.6% Cadenhead's

Time for another one of my favorite IBs, Cadenhead's, with two bottlings of the strange distillate of Pittyvaich. I hope they've been as good as J.McA when it comes to selecting casks. Maybe a sherried one here? Once again I don't have all the details on these bottlings. The color is pale amber. It smells sweet, ginger, peppery, toffee, caramel, honey, pistachio, dairy cream, cinnamon, dry red wine, an intriguing nose on this one as it switches between nasty sulphury and creamy rich. The taste is peppery, peaty, vanilla, aniseed, stronger, more powerful peppery notes than the J.McA's, even more spirity. Adding some water. Now it turns more peppery, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, camphor, grapefruit. I'd add water to this one any day, no doubt, but I'd always try it neat first, two very different version neat and diluted. The finish is pistachio again, green bell peppers, banana peel, burnt sugar.

Lovely whisky, old style, complex, nut many like these around: 6.5


Pittyvaich 13yo 1977-1991 58.4% Cadenhead's

A couple years older this one. Let's hope for a quality equal to, or even better, than the J.McA at same age. But this is much stronger, which could mean that its a bigger cask or even another type of oak, european in this case. But don't forget there are differences between similar cask types as well. The color on this one is dark brown. Maybe a sherry cask? Remember, even if Cadenhead's don't reference their casks, all of their bottlings are singles. It smells rich, cinnamon, cigar smoke, ashes, buttery, dry herbs, malt syrup, oregano, basil, dried spices, heather, sulphur, iodine, peat, dark chocolate. I wonder where these peaty notes comes from, I had no idea they peated the whisky at Pittywaich. The taste is burnt, cinnamon, peaty, leather, sulphur, rich, tobacco, stewed onions, balsamic vinegar, oloroso. The finish is licorice, honey, burnt oak, ginger. Time for some water. Now it turns cinnamon, buttery, fresh pastry, honey, vanilla, much sweeter, but some of that great oloroso complexity fades. I'd say this is a complete winner when tasted neat.

A sherry bomb of proportions, I don't think there are many of these around anymore: 9.5


Pittyvaich 28yo 1979-2007 51.4% Duncan Taylor Rarest of the Rare

This one arrived a bit too late for the photos. I must admit I've not tried many Rarest of the Rare from DT, except from a Glen Albyn which I found a bit off. But it improved when the level in the bottle started coming to an end. It pours a golden color. It smells malty, wheat, sawdust, soapy, mild oaky notes. The taste is malty, spicy, sulphur, lime peel, black pepper, warming spicy notes, cinnamon, grape fruit, ginger. Usually I'd add water to this, but right now its as good as this whisky can get I believe. No, lets add some water anyway. It turns more earthy and bitter with water. The spiciness fades and leaves room for some more unpleasant rubbery notes.

When neat, this works great on the palate: 6

Pittyvaich then

Pittyvaich Warehouses now
















Next tasting: Linlithgow/St. Magdalene Distillery