This is it, we're in Soho, Golden Square, centre of London.
My name is TJ and I am one of the malt whisky ambassadors for Diageo.
I get to travel all around Scotland, and all around the UK.
I live in Edinburgh so I'm really glad I get to come down here and taste and host
fantastic whisky sessions. This one here is one that a lot of people haven't heard of,
and it's pronounced Pittyvaich, it's from Dufftown right in the centre of Speyside.
When you stand at Dufftown clock tower,
within a 12 mile radius there are 59 whisky distilleries.
One of those used to be Pittyvaich, and unfortunately in 1993 it closed.
There is saying that Rome was built on seven hills
and Dufftown was built on seven stills. This was one of
the seven stills, only ran for 18 years closing in 1993.
This one here was actually distilled in the same year I was born, in 1989
and it was bottled making it a 29 Year Old. This is part of Diageo's 2019
Rare by Nature Special Releases
It looks absolutely fantastic
at natural cask strength and a combination of Pedro Ximénez
sherry cask and Oloroso sherry cask matured at 51.4%.
I'm joined by Henry the features editor of Master of Malt
and we've tasted a few whiskies together.
There's been some great whiskies.
I don't think we've tasted a bad whisky yet.
Add another one to the good roster? Let's try our best!
This is a new one for you? I've tasted a couple of Pittyvaichs, it's not
readily available as you can imagine being a closed distillery but definitely
one of the most endearing ones that come from Speyside.
So the combination of-
that noise is one of the best noises, is popping the cork on a bottle of whisky.
So what we have here is searching after that typical fruity Speyside-style whisky,
but the combination of those two sherry casks, Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso,
it's definitely gonna nail that complexity. Should we find out if it has?
Look at that colour, lovely golden nectar. I think almost
coming on to that idea of what a really nice Speyside whisky should look like.
On the nose it's definitely fruity, but wow, complex! A lot going on.
Ideas of raisin, sultana.
Caramels, toffee notes. Bit of green apple, a sort of citrusy, underripe apple.
I'm nervous to taste this one.
I don't know why but tasting-wise...
Describing whiskies like that I think is always quick tough.
It's got this herbal sort of thing to it which I don't think I've ever had anything like that before.
A little bit sort of thyme-y.
A bit of thyme, a bit of citrus coming through,
but that sort of raisin, sultana from those sherry casks is definitely punchy.
Dry oak's really nice as well it dries it at the front of your mouth very nicely.
Describing whisky is high-pitched I find, really interesting
but this one evaporates very quickly, but coats your mouth. Rather than an oily texture
or something a little bit more smooth and gentle. A touch buttery as well.
It's so aromatic it's very unusual.
Yeah massively.
I think maybe the idea of this, this is on on the verge of you know 50, you say 51.4% so
I'm not necessarily desperate to go and smash water in this and see how it does,
but we've done it with the other ones at natural cask strength, it's always interesting
to try it so shall we try a try a drop of water?
Yeah that's a good idea.
I think the idea of tasting what we call a ghost distillery, distilleries that
are closed, and this whisky that'll never be produced again is definitely
stepping back in time into an insight of how whisky used to be.
29 years matured.
And I think it was worth waiting every day for that. Nice, gentle, still very aromatic,
those herbal notes are still there and hints of citrus, but that raisin is
really prominent in front I like that a lot.
What's your thoughts on your first taste of Pittyvaich?
I like it yeah I've never had anything tasted like that.
I think that's pretty high there and the choices that
I'd have at the front of the drinks cabinet, or maybe at the back.
Sometimes they get a bit selfish on whisky
but then the other time I'm like, yeah let's all drink it together!
I think after a few them I'll be sharing with everyone.
Good health!
Cheers! Thank you.