Montblanc: James A. Purdey & Sons, Single Malt

[ptrB]

 

 

James Purdey & Sons Single Malt scented ink was released in 2018 by Montblanc as part of a series in collaboration with James A. Purdey, a gunmaker and hunting lifestyle brand. The ink surprised me! Single malt scented ink sounded at first like a (overpriced) gimmick and to some extend it is of course. But the color is a deep, beautiful orange-brown with amazing shading. Definitely a fall color which can be used in both a business environment (note taking) as well as for personal writing and correspondence. Be careful though, when opening the bottle or the pen cap the whisky scent is quite strong. It might be frowned upon at 830am when the meeting starts...

The scent fades quickly though, within minutes. After 20-30 minutes the smell of the paper itself always wins.

 

The ink behaves like most Montblanc inks I own. Perfect behavior in a broad, wide nib. A bit dry and with a strong dislike for TWSBI pens. The shading is wonderful, no feathering, and no show-through. Drying time is well below average at roughly 22 seconds. As can be seen, the ink doesn't really appreciate water.

 

This ink is the most bright, orange-brown ink I have. SBRE brown (P.W. Akkerman) is not far off, Comte de l'Or (produced by Diamine) is much more gold (of course), Herbin's café des Îles and Caroube de Chypre have far less orange in them and are a more true brown.

 

The ink will definitely gain some attention in the office, but I will use it for a while. I really like it.

 

 

N.B. Review written on Original Crown Mill Vellum paper

Edited December 3, 2019 by ptrB

[lapis]

Great! Reminds me immediately of Sazerac, which is of course lighter, not so brown, not so red. But there is some ingredient there with that richness in it. I'll have to get some (again in spite of my being turned off by MB's current pricing).

[tamiya]

looks very close to MB Petit Prince Red Fox... which wouldve been blended at around same vintage ~2018

 

Wonder if they got aged in same barrel

[Jan2016]

Thanks for the review! I like the color, fits with autumn :-)

[GardenWeasel]

Wonderful review! Thank you!

[Tom Kellie]

~ ptrB:

 

Thank you for preparing this review.

Montblanc James Purdey & Sons Single Malt has performed well for me.

It's become a favorite.

Tom K.

[inkstainedruth]

Thanks for the review.

It would be interesting to see a side by side between this ink and Diamine Anniversary Terra Cotta (judging from how the photo or scan appears on my screen, Purdey's Single malt might be a little more red/orange).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[ptrB]

looks very close to MB Petit Prince Red Fox... which wouldve been blended at around same vintage ~2018

 

Wonder if they got aged in same barrel

I have both inks. I haven't used the Red Fox in a while (even though I absolutely love that ink). There are similarities for sure, but to me James Purdey is a lot more brown and deep. Triggered by your suggestion I made a quick comparison with a poster nib on lalo verge paper.

James Purdey is far more brown/orange. Red Fox is Orange/Red/Brown.

 

Edited December 4, 2019 by ptrB

[lgsoltek]

This seems to be a "burnt orange" kind of colour. Makes me think of Private Reserve Shoreline Gold or KWZI Monarch.

[tamiya]

I have both inks. I haven't used the Red Fox in a while (even though I absolutely love that ink). There are similarities for sure, but to me James Purdey is a lot more brown and deep. Triggered by your suggestion I made a quick comparison with a poster nib on lalo verge paper.James Purdey is far more brown/orange. Red Fox is Orange/Red/Brown. IMG_4907.JPG

thank you, much obliged.

 

I think my allergies to MB-squarebottle-tax precludes me owning either red-brown

[namrehsnoom]

Super review that shows the nuances of this ink really well. I like the looks of it a lot. Can anyone comment on how it works with F or M nibs? Does it still keep that really nice shading and saturated look?

[oregano]

I've been wondering--how does it compare to Kobe Arima Amber or Montblanc Red Chalk?

[Uncial]

Super review that shows the nuances of this ink really well. I like the looks of it a lot. Can anyone comment on how it works with F or M nibs? Does it still keep that really nice shading and saturated look?

Does well. There's a Cigar version too. A touch dry and the scent is barely there but a very nice brown.

[oregano]

For those who have used both Purdey and Leonardo Red Chalk, which is closer to Red Chalk, Purdey or SBRE Brown ink?

[Uncial]

I thought there was a doppelganger for red chalk in the Monteverde ink range?

[oregano]

I thought there was a doppelganger for red chalk in the Monteverde ink range?

 

I tried it--Red Velvet was suggested--but it didn't compare. I wonder if Canyon Rust or another color would be closer. The color itself is pretty close, but doesn't have the same shading properties. Overall, I just didn't like the consistency of that Monteverde ink either.

[Tom Kellie]

~ ptrB:

 

Thank you for the handwriting sample showing both James A. Purdey & Sons Single Malt and Petit Prince Red Fox.

That's useful for those of us who don't have both inks.

Tom K.

[DrDebG]

Thank you for the great review! It looks very interesting.

[NumberSix]

Here's my small contribution, writing with a Medium Edison nib in a Noodler's Neponset.

 

I have so far tried this ink in three pens -- MB 146, Parker 51 Demi, and this Neponset. It's great in all of them, but I especially like it in this one. It goes down a smidgeon darker than in the other two, which have finer nibs.

 

I did not think that an orange ink - even burnt orange like this one - would make it into my daily rotation. But in less than a week, this one has solidified its place. I am currently using it as the "main" color in my bullet journal, where I normally use black or blue-black.

 

I am sure there're some papers somewhere it won't work on, maybe, but I have yet to experience any bleed-through.

 

And yes, it does smell of whiskey. Not on the paper, but you can hold the pen's feed up to your nose and smell it.

 

 

 

 

[James-B]

On 12/3/2019 at 3:49 PM, ptrB said:

 

 

James Purdey & Sons Single Malt scented ink was released in 2018 by Montblanc as part of a series in collaboration with James A. Purdey, a gunmaker and hunting lifestyle brand. The ink surprised me! Single malt scented ink sounded at first like a (overpriced) gimmick and to some extend it is of course. But the color is a deep, beautiful orange-brown with amazing shading. Definitely a fall color which can be used in both a business environment (note taking) as well as for personal writing and correspondence. Be careful though, when opening the bottle or the pen cap the whisky scent is quite strong. It might be frowned upon at 830am when the meeting starts...

The scent fades quickly though, within minutes. After 20-30 minutes the smell of the paper itself always wins.

 

The ink behaves like most Montblanc inks I own. Perfect behavior in a broad, wide nib. A bit dry and with a strong dislike for TWSBI pens. The shading is wonderful, no feathering, and no show-through. Drying time is well below average at roughly 22 seconds. As can be seen, the ink doesn't really appreciate water.

 

This ink is the most bright, orange-brown ink I have. SBRE brown (P.W. Akkerman) is not far off, Comte de l'Or (produced by Diamine) is much more gold (of course), Herbin's café des Îles and Caroube de Chypre have far less orange in them and are a more true brown.

 

The ink will definitely gain some attention in the office, but I will use it for a while. I really like it.

 

 

N.B. Review written on Original Crown Mill Vellum paper

I put it in my pilot 823 medium nib and it's a bit dry. It does look nice