Pittyvaich — let’s say it’s not one of the closed distilleries people are mourning the most, but it’s still a pity that it’s gone forever… During its years of operation (1975 – 1993) it was a component of Bell’s blended whisky, a brand owned by Arthur Bell and Sons which owned also the distilleries Blair Athol, Dufftown, and Inchgower. By 1970s Bell’s blend had become the the most popular brand in the UK, an by 1980 its market share was 35%. Bell’s was bought by Guinness in 1985, which merged with Grand Metropolitan in 1997 to create… Diageo 😱. This is how the remaining stocks of Pittyvaich came to be released in the Flora % Fauna series, that I tried in review #224. Already by the early 1990s the Pittyvaich buildings, described as “ultra-modern” when they were built, had deteriorated, and the asbestos roof has to be replaced, but instead the site was closed. That’s modernity, for you. Tonight we continue the ghost safari with 2 indies and a “Special Release” Pittyvaich.
Pittyvaich • 12yo (1993) • 43% • Gordon & MacPhail
Scotch Single Malt • Refill American hogshead • Natural Colour & Unchillfiltered • ~€150 at auction • WB🔗
Tasting notes from a 2cl sample bottle
Nosing
A freshness that’s on the citric side (orange, elderflower, ketchup?), mixed with not-so-fresh rustic notes of bread, hay, leaves, and overripe fruits (banana, pear) crossing into candy land.
Deliciousness
Fun factor
Sipping
I don’t mind the low abv on this one, actually. Not oily in texture, but in flavour, and very malty, turning spicy but not prickly. Digestive biscuits, orange chocolate, vanilla, some hay and elegant cigar smoke.
Deliciousness
Fun factor
Comments
I think its got real character, something a little untamed and dirty.
Pittyvaich • 15yo (1989) • 50% • Douglas Laing
Scotch Single Malt • Refill hogshead • Natural Colour & Unchillfiltered • ~€180 at auction • WB🔗
Tasting notes from a 2cl sample bottle
Nosing
Some banana, green apples, meadow flowers, biscuits, vanilla and cream, minerality, hint of dunnage. Time draws out more phenolics, a little asphalt.
Deliciousness
Fun factor
Sipping
Full-bodied with a malty sweetness. Malty, biscuity, vanilla, some melon, white pepper. Not very expressive.
Deliciousness
Fun factor
Comments
Not at all bad, but very forgettable. Some generic and very refill bourbon casks notes. Not worth hunting the auctions for, for sure. I actually prefer the 12yo GM one, which falls behind on the mouthfeel, but otherwise brings more excitement.
Pittyvaich • “Diageo Special Release” • 25yo (1989) • 49.9%
Scotch Single Malt • Refill bourbon hogsheads • Natural Colour & Unchillfiltered • ~€250 at auction • WB🔗
Tasting notes from a 2cl sample bottle
Nosing
Floral and perfumed — and boozy to the point that I immediately add some water. Then full of tropical fruits, unripe mango and pine needles, grapefruit, cleaning agent, juniper wood.
Deliciousness
Fun factor
Sipping
Mouth-coating, round and silky but also zingy; a real tropical fruit salad (passion fruit, melon, mango, citrus), white chocolate, waffles. Just a little tobacco/cigar creeps in.
Deliciousness
Fun factor
Comments
Such a lovely palate! If the sharpness of the nose was less, I’d give it a ❤️. At the same time, the dirtiness that’s so interesting with the 12yo is largely gone, and we’re instead dealing with tropical fruit mush, but I do like that very much.
Of the three, the 12yo was definitely the most characterful. The 25yo, an excellent old bourbon casks, but with little trace of a distillery character. With that, I have a feeling that I’ve likely tried all the Pittyvaiches I’m going to try. But you never know, do you.
DuckDrams 
Leave a comment