Pittyvaich is a very curious distillery. Built in 1975 and closed in 1993, it ran for less than 20 years and didn't get much of a reputation. Almost all its produce went for blending, with a little going to the a Flora & Fauna expression. I've had the occasional independent bottling that wasn't to my taste, but on the whole I've generally been quite impressed.

I must admit to a little bias in favour of Pittyvaich - it's one of the first "off the beaten track" distilleries I ever tasted. Having tried everything that the local off-licenses offered, I eventually found myself in the Milroys bar (so this was some time ago!). I was asked what I'd drank and what I'd enjoyed, and promptly offered a Mortlach and Pittyvaich (both Flora & Fauna). I therefore have fond memories of both...

This is the third SMWS Pittyvaich that I've been luck enough to try. The others were 90.1 and 90.10 - the latter being the last Pittyvaich we ever saw from the SMWS (in the UK, at least). This makes for a curious pattern - almost as if I'm attempting some kind of half-arsed binary search through the Pittyvaich SMWS bottlings. One can but hope!

10 years old, distilled May 1992, bottled October 2002, 59.4% abv