Old Pulteney 1989 Vintage

Another sample from a tasting collection has been opened. This one received recognition as the world's best single malt (one must wonder how many awarding bodies exist?! Until recently, I believed only one critic mattered?). This is a 26-year-old spirit from a specific distillery, entirely matured in a cask that previously held heavily peated whisky. Consequently, it's a spirit from a northern region that exhibits characteristics of a peat-rich island. Nose: I'm genuinely enjoying this. If you imagine it with your eyes closed, you can detect the scent of the sea. It's briny and salty. The peat is not apparent at all. Taste: It has citrus fruit flavors, a strong presence of brine and salt, and no sweetness whatsoever. The peat emerges here, but it's quite subtle. It's almost like a tangy lime-lemon drink, with the glass rimmed in salt. There's also an odd herbaceous flavor. It resembles marijuana (not that I would know from personal experience, but having grown up in a certain environment, I recognize the scent). The finish is exceptionally long. It evokes the sensation of tasting the ocean when swimming and accidentally swallowing some water. This is a positive experience. If tasted without knowing what it was, I would have guessed it was a well-aged spirit from a specific distillery. Not the robust younger version, but perhaps a more refined older one (though I haven't tried that one, I imagine it possesses understated elegance). Is this the 2016 World's best? Who knows... and I'm not sure it matters. However, it is good... and I'm pleased I acquired a small sample earlier in the year before it received such accolades.