While Montblanc remains one of my favorite brands, they’ve annoyed me a bit as of late. Not because their special or limited releases have been “bad,” it’s just that there are so many of them that they cease to be “special.” And, yes, I’d say some of them have been lackluster, like the recent “Blue Palette” series of six different shades of blue. In their apparent effort to turn out a large volume of high-priced releases, I feel like they’ve fallen into a bit of a rut characterized by uninspired homages and repetitive color choices.
Montblanc James Purdey & Sons is fairly dark, with good visibility for everyday writing. I’ve enjoyed using this ink at work and in my journal at home.
That said, if you take the time to sift through all of the various options, you’ll find some gems that I consider absolute must-haves. One such ink is the whisky-scented collaboration with James A. Purdey & Sons, the British gunmaker famous for their (extremely expensive) bespoke shotguns and rifles. While the pen itself is a gorgeous example of the craftsmanship Montblanc is capable of, it’s also pricey, and falls far outside what I would ever feel comfortable spending. The ink, however, presents an option for those who want to participate in this “Great Masters” release without shelling out thousands of dollars.
Montblanc Purdey & Sons matches my Newton Orville in the Conway Stewart acrylic fairly well, right? Writing samples are done on Col-o-dex and Col-o-ring Oversize paper.
As a general matter, Montblanc makes excellent, low-maintenance inks that won’t damage your pens and work well on all but the cheapest recycled copy paper (and even there they hold up as well as can be expected). The Purdey & Sons ink is no exception, though I will say that it seems slightly wetter than most Montblanc inks, which I don’t mind. The “single-malt” scent is not overwhelming and disappears as the ink dries, so my notebooks haven’t ended up smelling like they’re soaked in booze. I guess you can call that work-friendly? Sort of? Maybe after lunch.
Montblanc describes the ink as a light brown, though the color is not washed out. Like the Carlo Collodi ink from a few years back, it has a reddish-orange tint. It’s not just me: the label on the bottom of the bottle says “Encre Morron Orange”, which I assume is bad French for “brown orange.”
Takeaways and Where to Buy
A whisky-scented ink isn’t necessarily going to be an everyday user for me (unless I really want to get people talking during 7:30 a.m. meetings), but as a whisky/whiskey enthusiast, I wasn’t about to pass this one up. While I appreciate the craftsmanship in a finely made shotgun, and the pen absolutely nails the homage, the Purdey & Sons association wasn’t what drew me to this particular ink.
You can purchase the James Purdey & Sons ink from Montblanc boutiques or retailers. Since I don’t have a Montblanc boutique near me, I ordered this ink from site sponsor Appelboom, who still has it available on their website, along with the Purdey & Sons fountain pen. This ink comes in the larger 50ml bottle, so it’s not inexpensive at 41 Euros, but it is a scented ink (which ups the cost somewhat) and you can get a little bit of a discount using the coupon code “FRIEND” at checkout.
Disclaimer: I purchased the ink featured in this review with my own funds, though I received some store credit through my participation in Appelboom’s Affiliate Program. This post contains affiliate links.