Old Pulteney Distillery Information
Until the revival of the Wolfburn distillery, the title of “Most northern distillery on the Scottish mainland” could be claimed by Old Pulteney, located the town of Wick in the northern Highlands of Scotland. Wick is an old fishing town that in the first half of the 19th century drew in thousands of thirsty fisherman every summer (herring season). Illicit distilling provided some of the ways for these fishermen to quench their thirst, but there obviously was a market there. Moonshiner James Henderson spotted an opportunity, and established Old Pulteney in 1826 in Pulteneytown, slightly south of Wick. The two towns have simply merged into the town of Wick nowadays.
The Henderson family remained at the helm of the Old Pulteney distillery until 1920, when it was sold off to Dundee-based James Watson & Co Ltd. In 1923, they themselves sold it to John Dewar & Sons Ltd. In 1925, it once again changed hands, this time to Distillers Company Ltd. (DCL). They decided to shut the distillery in 1930, and it remained inactive until 1951, when it was purchased by R. Cumming, who also owned the Balblair distillery at the time. Cumming renovated Old Pulteney, but failed to recoup his costs, and he ended up selling both Old Pulteney as well as Balblair to Hiram Walker in 1955. They rebuilt the distillery completely in 1959, and increased production, in order to meet demands from blenders.
In 1961, Hiram Walker was absorbed by Allied Breweries (change to Allied Lyons in 1981, and again to Allied Domecq Plc in 1994). Eventually, in 1995, the distillery found its way into the hands of Inver House, who started promoting it as a single malt whisky. Inver House has operated as the Scotch whisky arm of International Beverage Holdings, the global spirits division of Thai Beverage Public Company Limited, since International Beverage’s formation in 2006.
Today, Malcolm Waring serves as Old Pulteney’s Distillery Manager. He personally hand-filled the casks that became the distillery’s 2026 30 Year Old anniversary release. Production style across all five of International Beverage’s Scotch distilleries, Old Pulteney included, is now guided by Sarah Burgess, who joined the company in 2025 as Master of Whisky Creation following senior roles at Diageo, The Macallan and The Lakes Distillery.
Old Pulteney’s visitor centre, now referred to as the distillery’s “Brand Home,” reopened in 2026 after a major refurbishment timed to mark the 200th anniversary. The distillery has also begun trialling locally-grown Caithness barley alongside its usual unpeated malt.
Old Pulteney Whiskies
Old Pulteney’s stills are something unique. They look as if they originally were too big to fit the room, and especially the wash still appears to have been “cut down” in size to fit. This look is due to its flat top, which makes it appear as if a swan neck is missing. As if that wasn’t peculiar enough, the lyne arm protruding from the spirit still twists and bends, somehow conjuring mental images of a sousaphone. The still also has a particular bulb in its neck; a treat the bottles reflect.
Old Pulteney is available in the following core range:
- 12 Year Old; matured in ex-Bourbon casks
- 17 Year Old matured in predominantly ex-Bourbon casks and some ex-Sherry
- 21 Year Old; matured mostly in second-fill ex-Bourbon casks, and some first-fill ex-Sherry casks. The 21 Year Old contains a higher ratio of Sherry than the 17 Year Old
- Navigator; Non-age statement.
- 1990 Vintage Single Malt; matured in American ex-Bourbon and Spanish ex-Sherry casks that previously contained heavily peated whisky. Limited edition
- 30 Year Old; matured in ex-Bourbon American oak
- 35 Year Old; matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks
- 40 Year Old
- Flotilla
- Duncansby Head; Non-age statement. Matured in ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks
- Noss Head; Non-age statement. Matured in ex-Bourbon casks
- Pentland Skerries; Non-age statement. Matured in ex-Sherry casks
- Clipper; Non-age statement. Matured in ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks. Limited edition
- Stroma; Not really a whisky, but a liqueur. “Stroma” is Norse for “island in the stream”.
Celebrating the 200 year anniversary of the distillery, three bicentennial releases were added:
- Old Pulteney 10 Year Old “Distillery Exclusive” (2026): matured in American oak ex-Bourbon casks, finished in ex-Manzanilla and ex-Oloroso sherry casks, 48% ABV.
- Old Pulteney 30 Year Old (2026): American oak maturation with European oak refinement, 50.4% ABV, 1,000 bottles.. Casks personally hand-filled by Distillery Manager Malcolm Waring.
- Old Pulteney 50 Year Old (2026): predominantly American oak with European oak seasoning, 40.8% ABV, 200 bottles (the “four times 50 equals 200” framing ties the count to the anniversary). Both the 30 and 50 Year Old ship in hand-blown Glencairn Crystal decanters with driftwood-inspired oak casing.
Distillery info:
Detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Old Pulteney |
| Region | Highland |
| Country | Scotland |
| Logo |  |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1826 |
| Water source | Loch Hempriggs |
| Malting floor | No |
| Owned by | Inver House Distillers |
| Address |
Pulteney Distillery |
| Visitor centre | Yes |
| Website | https://www.oldpulteney.com/ |
| https://www.facebook.com/oldpulteney | |
| https://www.instagram.com/oldpulteneymalt/ | |
| YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@OldPulteneyWhisky |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | 5.1 tonnes | 1 (Stainless steel with copper lid, Semi Lauter) |
| Washback | 23,500 litres | 6 (Stainles steel) |
| Wash still | 21,707 litres | 1 |
| Spirit Still | 17,343 litres | 1 |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 1,300,000 |
Images copyright of Old Pulteney Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
Frequently Asked Questions
Old Pulteney sits in Wick, in the northern Highlands of Scotland. It was originally built in Pulteneytown, just south of Wick, though the two towns have since merged into Wick.
Moonshiner James Henderson established Old Pulteney in 1826, spotting an opportunity to serve the thousands of thirsty fishermen who flocked to Wick every summer during the herring season.
It held that title until the revival of the Wolfburn distillery.
Yes. Distillers Company Ltd shut the distillery in 1930, and it remained inactive until 1951, when it was purchased by R. Cumming, who also owned the Balblair distillery at the time. Cumming renovated Old Pulteney but failed to recoup his costs, eventually selling both distilleries to Hiram Walker in 1955, who rebuilt Old Pulteney completely in 1959.
Old Pulteney has been owned by Inver House Distillers since 1995, which promoted it as a single malt whisky. Inver House has operated as the Scotch whisky arm of International Beverage Holdings, the global spirits division of Thai Beverage Public Company Limited, since 2006.
The wash still has a flat top rather than a swan neck, giving it the appearance of having been “cut down” to fit the room, while the lyne arm on the spirit still twists and bends unusually. The still also features a distinctive bulb in its neck.
The core range includes the 12, 17, and 21 Year Old (each with varying ratios of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry cask maturation), the no-age-statement Navigator, and older expressions including the 30, 35, and 40 Year Old, alongside the limited-edition 1990 Vintage.
To mark 200 years, the distillery’s visitor centre, now called its “Brand Home,” reopened in 2026 after a major refurbishment. Three bicentennial releases were also added: a 10 Year Old Distillery Exclusive, a 30 Year Old (casks hand-filled by Distillery Manager Malcolm Waring), and a 50 Year Old limited to 200 bottles.
Yes, Old Pulteney has a visitor centre.