VILLAGE OF WICK
Pulteney Distillery is located in the Town of Wick in the county of Caithness – in the north east part of Scotland just 16 miles from the most northerly point of the island 'John O'Groats'. Wick's name is derived from the Norse 'vik' meaning bay.
SIR WILLIAM JOHNSTONE PULTENEY
Although it was founded in 1826 by James Henderson, the distillery and the whiskey it produces owes much to this man.
William Johnstone was born in Dumfries in the southeast of Scotland on October 19, 1729. He studied law and became an eminent barrister. He lived in Edinburgh where he was associated with figures such as the economist Adam Smith and the architect Robert Adam.
In 1760, William Johnstone married Francis Pulteney, the third daughter of Daniel Pulteney. His new wife soon inherits a substantial fortune and the lands of Bath and Somerset on the death of her cousin William Pulteney 1st Earl of Bath. It was at this time that William changed his name to William Johnstone Pulteney. He invests in land in the "West Indies" (Caribbean) and in the USA and soon the rumor of being the wealthiest man in Great Britain arises. He inherited the title of 5th Baronet Pulteney on the death of his elder brother in 1794, and has since been known as Sir William Johnstone Pulteney.
Pulteney was determined to belong to parliament. He manages to join as a member by Cromarty and later by Shrewsbury, where he remains for 7 consecutive terms
THE PULTENEYTOWN PLACE
In 1783, Pulteney began working with Thomas Telford, who would become recognized as one of the most prominent engineers of the day. Pulteney became Governor of the English Society of Fishermen and appointed Telford to design a new and larger herring port at Wick. Pulteney oversaw the development of the community and the creation of ''Pulteneytown'' to house the fishermen and builders of the new harbor. The work also included the construction of a water supply system for the distillery, today known as 'The Lade'.
The small town of Wick, once only accessible by sea, became a symbol of wealth and prosperity, both for its 'silver jewels' (herring) and for its 'liquid gold' (whiskey). At its height in the late 19th century, the port had around 1,000 ships operating at any one time, while fishing and related industries employed around 14,000 people locally.
HEADING TO THE PRESENT
However things took an unexpected turn for this small whiskey town, after 1923 'The Temperance Act' of 1913 was enacted and the local Wick legislature voted in 1922 to convert the town into a '' Dry town'' prohibiting the sale of alcohol. Surprisingly, the ban lasted for 25 years, twice as long as in the United States
Between 1930 and 1951 the distillery was closed. After Robert 'Bertie' Cummings of Banff acquired the distillery, production restarted and hasn't stopped since. The distillery was sold to its current owners in 1995.
It is in 1997 when the expression of Old Pulteney 12 years is launched for the first time
THE PROCESS
