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Old Pulteney, which won an SRFDA Platinum Award for its 12 Year Old whisky, has unveiled its oldest expression to date, a 45-year-old single malt Scotch whisky titled Bow Wave.

The never-to-be-repeated whisky is available exclusively through the biennial Distillers’ One of One auction, which will raise funds to help disadvantaged young people across Scotland.

Old Pulteney Bow Wave has matured for more than four decades within hand-selected American oak casks before spending a further five years maturing inside a single first-fill Spanish oak butt. Emerging deep golden in colour, Bow Wave has maritime flavours imparted from the distillery’s coastal location in Caithness.

Whisky expert and writer Dave Broom said the whisky was refined and clearly mature, yet still fresh. He described it as “complex and fascinating”.

Bow Wave is presented in a striking hand-blown glass bottle which sits on a bed of Caithness slate and is encircled with custom-crafted Scottish silverware.

Malcolm Waring, Distillery Manager at Old Pulteney, said: “I couldn’t be more thrilled to finally announce Old Pulteney Bow Wave, created specially for the One of One auction later this year.

“After maturing for more than four decades, this one-of-a-kind single malt, as the oldest in our history, is testament to the enduring spirit, patience and pride of Old Pulteney’s award-winning distillery.”

The Distillers’ One of One auction will be held at Hopetoun House on 5 October 2023, with proceeds donated to The Distillers’ Charity. The inaugural auction, which took place in 2021, raised more than £2.4 million.