Set deep in the Thomas Telford planned area of Upper Pulteneytown, sits the characterful Old Pulteney Distillery. When exploring the coastal town of Wick, the home of the historic ‘Maritime Malt’ is a must visit for any whisky enthusiast staying at Celtic Lodges.
Pulteneytown was built to support the booming fishing industry, and at one stage Wick was the largest herring port in Europe due to the influx of workers, almost quadrupling the local population. Thomas Telford, one of Britain’s best-known civil engineers developed this urban planning project and there is even a connection from his work to the Old Pulteney distillery.
While Thomas Telford was not involved in the design or build of the distillery, he has a fundamental connection to the development of distilling in Pulteneytown. IIn 1807 he designed and constructed a lade (a man-made water channel) which still feeds water from nearby Loch Hempriggs – which is instrumental for the production of Old Pulteney whisky.
The distillery opened in 1826, and enjoyed success with Wick’s larger population, up until the 1920’s when it was affected by a prohibition vote under the Temperance (Scotland) Act of 1913. The vote, decided by local residents, cast Wick as a “dry” town and all the pubs immediately closed. Old Pulteney Distillery eventually closed in 1930, and remained closed until 1951. Since then it has been a busy working distillery, producing around 900,000 litres of whisky per year.
Due to its location, Old Pulteney has coined the nickname of the “Maritime Malt”, being influenced by the coastal character and flavour profile of the whisky, and the long historical connection to maritime trade and fishing.
Old Pulteney has a core range of four whiskies: the 12 year old, 15 year old, 18 year old, and Huddart. There are also distilled limited editions, a coastal series of expressions, and a whisky liqueur called Stroma which is named after an abandoned island off John O’Groats.
There are three options for Distillery Tours at the Old Pulteney Distillery which give a real insight into the milling, mashing, fermenting and maturing processes – all completed on-site in Wick. Book a tour here.
- If you’re looking for an introduction to whisky, ‘A Taste of Old Pulteney’ would suit you, with a taste of two drams.
- ‘From the Source’ is an in-depth experience, giving you the opportunity to try all four of the single malt whiskies in their characterful tasting room.
- ‘The Flagship Experience’ is a VIP experience bookable by appointment only, taking visitors through a tasting adventure including tastings of their 25 year old whisky and exclusive casks. An experience for a true enthusiast!
Old Pulteney Distillery is a 35 minute drive from Celtic Lodges. While you’re in Wick, why not make a day of it and explore this historic town?
- There are plenty of cafes and restaurants in Wick to enjoy a snack, meal or drink: Wickers World, No1 Bistro at Mackays Hotel, The Norseman Hotel, Bord De L’Eau, Creel and Crumb food truck, Puldagon Farm Shop and Restaurant (10 minute drive from Wick).
- Caithness Seacoast (May – September) tours are exhilarating RIB tours along the Caithness coastline (southbound to the Whaligoe Steps, northbound to Keiss Harbour and Castle), exploring sea caves, geos and observing wildlife. There’s no guarantees but dolphins, whales and other cetaceans have been spotted from the boat.
- Wick Heritage Museum (April – October) in Pulteneytown is a brilliant volunteer-run museum. It is home to the Johnston Collection – a historic collection of photos taken between 1863 and 1975, capturing life in Caithness, including around Wick Harbour, which was once the herring capital of Europe. The Museum also contains a number of fully furnished rooms holding exhibits that have been donated by local people. It’s well worth a visit; expect to spend up to half a day here!
- Next door to the Heritage Museum is the Memorial Garden. It movingly commemorates the loss of life when enemy aircraft dropped two bombs during World War Two on the area.
- Next to the Garden, art fans will appreciate seeing the site of the Black Stairs, which were depicted by painter LS Lowry in the 1930s during a visit to Wick.
- Overlooking Wick harbour is the atmospheric Seafarers Memorial (Smith Terrace), commemorating lives lost at sea. It’s worth going to have a look and reflecting on the sad maritime disasters that affected local people.
- The Wick section of the John O’Groats Trail is very accessible and its signed path hugs the coastline, providing amazing views. Following the southbound path through the harbour, once out of the town centre you’ll pass the Trinkie, a tidal seawater pool built into the rocks – see if you can spot any hardy souls taking a dip! Further along, you can see Old Wick Castle (one of the oldest castle ruins in Scotland). The northbound path passes the North Baths, another sea swimming pool which is a popular spot for families in the summer months. Continuing further for a couple of miles, you will reach Noss Head Lighthouse and Castle Sinclair Girnigoe – another castle ruin which overlooks the sweeping Sinclair Bay (note that you can drive to Castle Sinclair Girnigoe, but access to the lighthouse is on foot only).
- Why not create your own Caithness drinks trail touring Wolfburn Distillery, 8 Doors Distillery, North Point Distillery, Dunnet Bay Distillery, and John O’Groat’s Brewery?
