A Visit to Pulteney

By Old Pulteney

We speak to Tanya, our Visitor Centre Manager, about why Pulteney Distillery is now worth a visit more than ever.

We spoke to Tanya Fraser, our Visitor Centre Manager, to find out how the the visitor side of Pulteney has changed over the years and why now more than ever a visit to Caithness is a must, not just for whisky enthusiasts.

How long has Pulteney Distillery offered tours to visitors now?

We’ve offered tours for almost exactly fifteen years now so a good while.

Has much changed over that time? How has the experience improved?

Perhaps the most important change is that people are now much more knowledgeable than before. A lot of our visitors are true whisky enthusiasts who want to go on the high end tours and who certainly know a lot about the process. We’ve also seen a surge in the number of groups who are here on whisky holidays, touring various distilleries together. It’s very encouraging and also pushes us to constantly improve the experience and offer something different, for example hand-fill bottlings which are not available in stores.

Over the years we’ve always stayed open to suggestions from visitors and hopefully we’re continuing to deliver just what they are looking for, a special experience.

Where do most of your visitors come from? Has that changed too?

We see more and more visitors from overseas every year, especially from Scandinavia and Germany. But visitors from the UK are still the single biggest group.

What do you think is the most important, memorable thing the visitors take away from here?

We’d like to think it all comes together at Pulteney – a warm welcome, great tour, stunning whisky and something no whisky enthusiast would ever forget – our show-stopping stills.

If you were to explain in three words why people should come to Pulteney, what would those words be?

Liquid, Maritime, Brilliance.

And once somebody is already in Caithness, is Pulteney Distillery the only thing to see and do around here?

Absolutely not. There is a lot to see and do in Caithness and I would encourage anyone who’s planning a visit to spend at least a couple of days in the area. You have to go to John O’Groats of course. Within a short drive from there are several picturesque lighthouses which gave names to our travel retail exclusive expressions – Noss Head, Duncansby Head and Dunnet Head. There are also castles of course, like Sinclair and Girnigoe Castle which is best viewed from the sea. Don’t miss the Castle of Mey and have a dram among the romantic ruins of the Old Castle of Wick. In Wick itself we have Ebenezer Place, the shortest street in the world, and a Heritage Centre where you can learn about our history.

We hope to welcome you to Pulteney Distillery soon. If you’d like to find out more about our distillery tours, please click here.