The Pulteney distillery in Wick was built in 1826, and for a long time was the northernmost distillery on the Scottish mainland. Acquired by John Dewar & Sons in 1924, the distillery was quickly forced to close down in 1930, as Prohibition in its hometown was enacted to attempt to curb drunkenness among its maritime society. When it re-opened in 1955, the majority of its output was reserved for blending, although Gordon & MacPhail were licensed to bottle a single malt by Allied Breweries (later Allied Domecq). Its single malt was known as "Old Pulteney" on their labels, and this tradition remained when Inver House, who acquired the distillery in 1995, released Pulteney's first distillery bottlings. 

Launched in 1997, the 12 year old was the original core range product from the Inver House era. This packaging design was used between 2012 and 2018 when the distillery overhauled and rebranded its proprietary portfolio, the 12 year old being the only age-statement retained.