International Beverage Unveils Old Pulteney Polaris for 2025 Distillers One of One Auction
International Beverage has unveiled Old Pulteney Polaris, a 47 year old Single Malt Scotch Whisky that marks the oldest release from the distillery to date.
Old Pulteney Polaris will be available exclusively through the third Distillers’ One of One auction, a series of biennial auctions bringing together one-off, never-to-be-repeated Scotch whiskies from distilleries across Scotland to raise funds to help disadvantaged young people in Scotland.
Distilled and aged at Old Pulteney, Polaris was matured for four decades in American oak casks, with a final seven years spent resting in a single first-fill Spanish oak butt. Old Pulteney Polaris is presented in a 1.5 liter bottle at 43.6% ABV. The auction lot will also include a 100 mL sample.
Official tasting notes for Old Pulteney Polaris follow:.
Nose: Deep, oily/waxy and even slightly resinous. Immediately, there’s great concentration of luscious fruits: baked peach, apricot, red apple cut with a zesty mix of orange oil and fresh ginger. Layered and chewy (some toffee). The aromas continue to deepen and become more strange and oxidative: bletted medlar, cob nut, old-style cobbler’s workshop, but then given lift by a gorse/whin freshness and the sensation of a cool seashore breeze. Driven by distillate and time, not wood. A gorgeous, old style.
Palate: Thick, waxy texture. Palate-clinging, all fats, sealing wax, late harvest soft fruits with that touch of decay to them. This is immediately contrasted with a jag of the citrus seen on the nose. The fruits become compressed as the oils build, there’s a touch of rabbit glue, while the wood adds silky tannins and its own aromatic, cedary qualities. Things remain soft and flowing before some light salinity tingles on the sides of the tongue. A clifftop walk in a stiff breeze. Lovely balance.
While water is probably best kept on the side to refresh the palate, a drop or two increases the oxidised elements, adding in light sandalwood incense. Now it is more open, more mineralic, a thrilling mix of acidity, toasted wood and savouriness. Mature, wise with a wildness to it.
Finish: The saltiness fades and the fruits return.
Old Pulteney Polaris is presented in a deep blue bottle with a ripple effect around the glassware, representing the crashing waves of the Caithness coast. The bottle is encased in a sculpture of Caithness slate and silver, which are both naturally found in the distillery’s home in the far north of Scotland. An additional enhancement of a secret copper disc lies at the base of the structure, which has been reclaimed from Pulteney Distillery’s stills.
The Distillers’ One of One auction will be hosted at Hopetoun House on October 10th, 2025, with 100% of the hammer price going to charity. To register interest in the auction, visit the Distillers’ One of One website.
Source: International Beverage.