The Maritime Malt
The taste of where we are
The sea-salt air finds its way into everything at Wick – the stonework, the timber. Our open warehouses drink it in, our casks too. The result is a single malt Scotch whisky that’s unmistakably salty, with a character that runs deep.
1826
1910
1947
1990-97
2026
1826
Born where land meets sea
James Henderson founded the distillery in 1826, naming it after Wick’s newly built Pulteneytown. With no roads connecting us to the world, everything moved by sea. Barley arrived by boat, whisky left the same way.
Born in Wick
1910
At its peak
Wick was the herring capital of the world. Two thousand vessels worked the harbour. The town’s population nearly quadrupled. They called the herring ‘the silver darlings’. And while the silver came in off the sea, the gold was being made just up the road, at Pulteney Distillery. One town, two industries. Built on the same honest endeavour.
Our History
1947
Back to work
Prohibition was finally over. Robert ‘Bertie’ Cumming saw his moment and took it. He restarted production in 1951. A major refurbishment followed in 1958, and the old floor maltings became what is now our Visitor Centre. Twenty-seven years at rest. Back on its feet within four.
Lat 58 26' 18.59"
1990-97
A new era
In 1995, Inver House Distillers took ownership of the distillery. Two years later, the Old Pulteney 12-Year-Old was released. If Old Pulteney is the spirit of Wick, the 12-Year-Old is the spirit of Old Pulteney.
Born in Wick
2026
Still standing
Two centuries in, the fundamentals are the same. Malcolm Waring and the team make our whisky in the same port, from the same water, breathing the same salt-laden air.
The Maritime Malt
Making our whisky
Our water comes from Loch Hempriggs. It’s pure, soft, and carried here through a lade built in 1807 by Scottish engineer Thomas Telford. His lade’s still here, still doing its job. No pumps or machines, just engineering and gravity.
We source our unpeated barley from local farmers. Once it’s malted, our century-old Porteus mill grinds it into grist – every five-tonne batch yields around 410 litres of spirit. We’ll leave you to do the arithmetic.
Grist meets water in our semi-lauter mash tun. During four cycles, the temperature edges up slowly, steadily. This means we can draw out as much sugar as possible, sugar that will eventually become alcohol. It’s unhurried. Deliberate. The same approach we bring to everything.
After mashing, we fill our stainless steel washbacks. Six in total, each holding 23,500 litres. We add dried yeast at 17°C, then get ready for an exceptionally long fermentation, timed by experience alone. Around 60 hours later, it’s ready.
Two copper stills shape our spirit: a wash still and a spirit still. The wash still is uncommon – a boiling ball at its base and a flat top above, a design found in only two other distilleries in Scotland. Its shape gives Old Pulteney its fragrance and character. Our bottle, too.
The spirit then passes through a worm tub condenser. An increasingly rare way of working, and one we have no intention of changing. Picture an open wooden tub filled with clear water, and coiled copper snaking under the surface. This builds the body and depth that define Old Pulteney.
American and Spanish oak casks rest in our warehouses. Constantly cool, relentlessly humid. Stone walls invite the salt-laden air of Wick into every cask. Years later, the deep character of Old Pulteney shows up in the glass.
Explore our experiences
Visit Old Pulteney
Our distillery tours take you through every stage of crafting Old Pulteney. The work begins at Loch Hempriggs – our water source on the edge of Wick – and ends at the tasting table, with The Maritime Malt in the glass.
Industrial craftsmanship
Copper stills, oak casks, and the steady hands of generations.
Barley, water, yeast, Copper, oak, salt
A simple recipe that’s taken two centuries to perfect, as we craft our unmistakable whisky.
A still like no other
Our unmistakable flat top still develops the spirit within, and lends our bottle its iconic shape.
The people of Wick
Resilient, witty, quietly proud. This character runs deep through every bottle we make.
What Sets Our Single Malt Apart
Discover our Whisky
Two centuries of substance over show
The Maritime Malt
