
June 9, 2016

More Clynelish, he said

High esteem and high hopes. Clynelish never fails to amaze me. But first, prego, an apéritivo, por favor! (sounding like a lost Easyjet tourist now, I know…)

Clynelish 5 yo (43%, OB, Di Chiano, Italy, +/-1970)

We’ve already written a tasting note for a UK version around ten years ago (WF 91) but it’s the first time we’re formally tasting this Italian bottling. Not that I’ve never tried it before ;-). Oh and yes, of course, this is ‘Old’ Clynelish, so pre-Brora Brora, so to speak. Colour: gold. Nose: one of the sootiest malts ever. We’re in an old basement, full of old pieces of iron, coal, tools, rusty nails and screws. There’s also grandpa’s old motorcycle, old books and magazines, old iPhones (I’m joking), last year’s advent wreath, a pile of old records, and yeah, quite a lot of soot, saltpetre, and coal dust. And all that is stunning. Mouth: excellently Clynelish. Umami, salty chicken bouillon, crystallised oranges and citrons, this feeling of soot yet again, linseed oil and candle wax, and then a touch of Tabasco or any soft chilli sauce. Perhaps Espelette chillies? Surprisingly salty, and unsurprisingly fat and waxy. Big mouth feel. Finish: long and even saltier, almost as if you had downed a glass of seawater. Smoky, slightly acrid aftertaste. Quite. Comments: only flipside, this is no surprise. Majestic spirit, totally grand cru. Some great 1960s distillate, these little 5s being just as great as the 12s in my opinion. SGP:362 - 93 points.

Thirty-five years forward… In the immediate vicinity of Old Clynelish...

Clynelish 1997/2015 ‘The Highland Mariner’ (46%, Wemyss Malts, hogshead, 341 bottles)

Colour: straw. Nose: it’s always great to check the differences between an old, possibly ‘worm-coiled’ malt and a contemporary counterpart. Remember Clynelish’s stills are replicas of Brora’s. In this case, there’s all this fruity wax that’s a little louder than in the old 5, and much less mineral and phenolic notes. Kumquats and citrons, a little moss, sea spray (for that mariner), and a good deal of coal smoke. Mouth: the filliation remains obvious, although once again, this is brighter, rather easier, and fruitier. Citrons, grapefruits, a touch of salt, a piece of smoked fish, and quite some lemon. Textbook 1997 Clynelish at an easy strength. Finish: good length, more herbal, otherwise very Clynelishy, that is to say waxy. Apples. Comments: as good as it gets. SGP:462 - 88 points.

Clynelish 18 yo 1997/2015 (55%, Liquid Treasures, bourbon hogshead)

This one is called the Charlie Edition, and I doubt that’s Charlie Sheen or Charlie Watts. Colour: white wine. Nose: well Clynelish of course, but this one’s rather grassier, more austere, with more branches, leaves, then ‘chemical’ lemon juice powder (nothing bad!) and green plums. Very tight, it seems. With water: moss, porridge, soot, peelings… It’s all beautifully austere. Mouth (neat): excellent, salty and waxy with some lemon and a touch of paraffin, as well as this very grassy side that already was in the nose. A little custard, probably from the oak. With water: perfect now. Liquid wax, bitter oranges, lemon drops, a touch of honey and limoncello… We’re more in the style of the early 1980s vintages, I’d say. Finish: long and very waxy. Crunching lemon-scented candles. Comments: a little less ‘easy’ than the Wemyss, more demanding, and rather closer to the old 5, in a way. Up there with the very best, congrats Charlie. SGP:462 - 90 points.

Clynelish 18 yo 1997/2015 (56.1%, Archives, bourbon hogshead, cask #6942, 80 bottles)

Only a micro-bottling but a nice fish on the label. Colour: white wine. Nose: probably not the same cask, but the juice is almost the same as that of the Liquid Treasure (never was a name so carefully chosen). Perhaps is this one a tad chalkier. With water: superlative mossy and sooty nose. Mouth (neat): yeah, more or less the same. Perhaps a little more vanilla this time, and one more touch of aniseed. Now it’s no pastis, as they used to say in old French movies. With water: exceptional, waxy tangerines and oranges, pink grapefruits, a touch of mint and liquorice… Really my kind of doobage (so to speak, eh!) Finish: quite long, totally perfect. A sweeter side, with some orange blossom honey. Comments: the best distillate in Scotland. Fact! By the way, Diageo, you have a new girl at the visitor centre (well, that wee room), a young blond one. Just wanted to say that she’s perfect! Please keep her! SGP:562 - 91 points.

A 1996 for a change…

Clynelish 18 yo 1996/2015 (56.1%, The First Editions, Author’s Series, refill hogshead, cask #HL11170, 243 bottles)

With Edgar Allan Poe on the label. It’s him or Robert Burns. Colour: white wine. Nose: very close, once again. Perhaps a little more menthol, bark, grass… And perhaps drops of artisan Kirschenwasser, but that may be the high strength. With water: the greatest smoky porridge ever. No more Kirschenwasser, having said that – better for breakfast, you’re right. Mouth (neat): oh lovely! Very zesty, lemony, greatly fermentary this time (this feeling of leaven, baker’s yeast), and otherwise totally Clynelishy. Total sharp, blade-y fun. With water: traces of tropical fruits emerge. Maracuja-like. And citrons, waxy lemons, all that. Finish: pretty long, maltier, waxy, citrusy, brilliant. Comments: Clynelish, incomparable distillate. The more I taste it, the more I adore it. Is it serious, doctor? SGP:462 - 90 points.

A wee rest with a lighter one…

Clynelish 17 yo 1997/2015 (46%, Signatory Vintage, Un-chillfiltered Collection, casks #4624-4625, 607 bottles)

Several great Clynelishes in this moderately priced series already. If you don’t always need bulls… I mean elaborate packaging by posh agencies (coke is expensive, you know), check it more often! Colour: white wine. Nose: the way it stands the course after the CS versions is pretty impressive. Smoky porridge, overripe green apples, paraffin, plasticine, seawater… Shall we call it ‘a leatherette-y Clynelish’? Mouth: but how good is this? Everything’s perfect, and it’s even got something from the countryside, like damp jumpers, or grandpa’s old tweed jacket – from when Harris Tweed was proper Harris Tweed. Love the saltiness too. Finish: quite long, salty, more meaty and herbal. What a bouillon! Comments: what’s good with this moderate strength is that you don’t need to toy with pipettes (right Ralfy, or coffee spoons). B-F-Y-B, many thanks Fabien. SGP:452 - 90 points.

These Clynelishes are boringly good, aren’t they. But we stop at nothing…

Clynelish 17 yo 1997/2014 (55.2%, Berry Bros & Rudd, cask #4050)

BB&R is another house that already got some excellent Clynelishes. Bah, anyway, all 1997s are pretty great… Colour: white wine. Nose: ah, it’s a fruitier one, with peaches, with less rocks and herbs and waxy/smoky things. Feels a little un-1997 – and rather more +/-1990, that is to say softer – but let’s discuss the issue further once water’s been added. With water: closed! Not the greatest swimmer in Sutherland, this one, maybe should it spend a few days at the (rather boring) Royal Marine Hotel. Yawn… Mouth (neat): indeed, it’s rather a fruitier one, with more roughish and sweetish notes, and less sharp Clynelishness. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very good, but the others were more convincing as far as pure Clynelishness is concerned. Splitting hairs now, but that’s our very duty. With water: good not great, as they say. Sweet fruit syrups, and little wax, let alone smoke. Finish: same. Rounded and polished preserved sweetness. Comments: surprised. It’s good, but it’s rather un-Clynelish. And yet, the vintage… Another malty mystery? SGP:541 - 81 points.

I will not leave it here, for sure…

Clynelish 1998/2014 (58%, Gordon & MacPhail, Cask Strength, sherry, casks # 17064-17065)

Ooh Clynelish + sherry, the danger zone! Colour: gold. phew! Nose: that very chocolaty and fudge-y sherry can offset the character of even the boldest malts is no secret, and that’s more or less the case here. Fudge, Mars bar, Ovaltine, butterscotch, café latte… You see… With water: as often with G&M, it turns very cloudy, which suggests minimal filtration. Leather, autumn leaves, cigars. Mouth (neat): the sherry treatment makes this little Clynelish almost Highland-Parky, serious. I find this extremely good, just not very idiosyncratic. Rhubarb-jam-filled chocolate. With water: excellent, we’ve just lost distillery character. I’m not the best at detecting distilleries, and sorry if I sound very immodest, but I think I know my Clynelish, and this could come from several other distilleries. But yeah, it’s excellent, so as they say at Donald Trump’s, who cares? Marmalade and zesty fruits. Finish: rather long, with a touch of sulphur – good in this context – and leather. Comments: very good, one of the better sherried Clynelishes. Not talking about the superb sherried ‘Old’ Clynelishes of course (Sestante, Cadenhead, Signatory, all those). SGP:452 - 85 points.

Ite tasting session est. More Clynelish soon… (with thanks to Fabien)

Check the index of all Clynelish I've tasted so far