Old Pulteney 1989 Vintage

One more Drinks by the Dram opened. This won the World Whisky award as best single malt ( how many awarding bodies are there??! Till recently, I thought it was Jimbo Murray only?). It's a 26 yr old Old Pulteney that's been fully matured in an ex-heavily peated cask. Which means it's a Highlander that thinks it's an Islay, but brings characteristics of both to the table. Nose: really liking this. If you close your eyes, you can smell the ocean. Briny, salty. The peat doesnt appear at all. Taste: like citrus fruits, with a strong dose of brine and salt. No sweetness at all. Now the peat shows up, but quite delicate. Almost a tangy lime-lemon lassi, where the glass is rimmed with salt. There's a funny leafy taste as well. Like marijuana (not that I would know, but I grew up in the inner city---I recognize it. ) Finish is loooong. Feels like that taste of the ocean when you're swimming, and you catch a bit of water down your pipe. In a good way. If tasted blind, I'd have guessed a well aged Talisker. Not the brute 10, but maybe the 30 (never had it, but I imagine that to be an understated elegance). Is this the 2016 World's best? Who knows...and not sure I care. But it's good...and I'm glad I bought a small sample earlier in the year before it was declared World's best.