Pittyvaich 12 Y.O. (Flora & Fauna)
Pittyvaich, unloved in its lifetime and unmourned in its passing. Founded in 1974 in the Speyside distilling capitol of Dufftown by Bell’s, Pittyvaich was, from its inception, designed to be a blending whisky. As part of the expansive UDV-DCL (what later became Diageo) stable, Pittyvaich didn’t release an official bottling as a single until 1991; shortly thereafter, in 1993, the distillery closed for good, and was finally demolished in 2002.
There are still extant stocks which can be found in the occasional special release from Diageo. The only thing approaching a standard official bottling was this 12 year old in the Flora & Fauna range, although it is now difficult to find, and quite expensive.
The whisky is not much appreciated by critics, and the ever opinionated Jim Murray reserves some of his most vitriolic criticism for poor Pittyvaich. While I would never insist that it’s a top shelf single malt, I think it’s worth trying if you can afford it, and I find it an interesting--if somewhat rough-edged--dram. My thoughts:
Pittyvaich 12 Y.O. (Flora & Fauna) 43% abv
Nose: Big, sherried and nutty; smoked almonds. Heavy. Glue. Underneath, there’s something industrial, and there’s also a lot of spice--red chile, carne adovada, a rather spicy mole. Quite odd, but not unpleasant.
Body: Lighter than the nose might suggest, but still medium to full and somewhat mouthcoating.
Palate: Big, but rather dry. This has definitely been logging time in a rather fresh and lively sherry cask. Very dark chocolate mixed with red chile and served off a recently oiled but rather old baseball glove. Less nutty than the nose, but perhaps there is some distant pecan, and there’s noticeable alchoholic harshness, too.
Finish: Dry, chocolate-y, rather long.
Price: Since the bottling is long since discontinued and the distillery is long closed, you can probably expect to pay upwards of $150 for it, despite its generally poor reputation.
Availability: Well, I just checked Whisky Exchange, and the only Pittyvaich they have in stock just now are some of the older special release bottlings. Probably the only place you’ll find this Flora & Fauna bottling would be at auction.
