
October 18, 2017

Clynelish, two arty ones

Poor Clynelish Distillery, it’ll soon have to put up with the rebuilding/overhauling of close neighbour Brora. Hope it won’t get jealous… Yes, of course Distilleries have souls and feelings!

Clynelish 20 yo 1996/2017 (48%, Artist Collective, La Maison du Whisky, 2 casks)

Did you notice that 48% vol. are slowly becoming the new 46? Colour: gold. Nose: a very malty one at first, with sweeter grasses and a mix of crushed barley with clay and stone, getting then frankly medicinal (band-aid) and only mildly fruity (wee hints of grapefruits). In short, a pretty grassy and mineral kind of Clynelish, not an unknown style of course. Mouth: really punchy, very mineral and tart, with orange and lemon skin at first, then bitter herbs, a subtle idea of raw tequila, and this feeling of crunching chalk. Certainly not one of the easiest, indolent Clynelishes… Finish: long, on pretty much the same flavours, and lemon zest and more chalk and even coastal smoke in the aftertaste. Bitter leaves as well. Comments: one of those rather Jansenist Clynelishes that we enjoy a lot at WF Towers. SGP:362 - 88 points.

Clynelish 21 yo (56.1%, Elixir Spirit, Art of Whisky Distilling, 251 bottles)

It’s so refreshing that more and more good people would emphasize on distilling rather than wood (whisky’s crutch!) Rather like the Roy-Liechtensteiny label too (Whaam!). Colour: white wine. Nose: this one’s got more citrus, it’s a more ‘traditional’ Clynelish, with citrons and tangerines, then rather lemon marmalade. But the costal minerality isn’t far away, and so is the plasticine. Typical. With water: fresh plaster and proper bone-dry sauvignon blanc. Mouth (neat): indeed, very typical. Waxy lemons and pink grapefruits, plus a few bitter herbs and always a chalkiness. One of the best of the mid-1990s in my book. With water: classic. Swims greatly. Finish: rather long, with more waxy aspects coming out. Beeswax, for example. Comments: this baby from one of the sub-brands within the tentacular TWE konzern ;-). I think quality’s extremely high. Spitzenklasse, as they say in Italy. SGP:552 - 91 points.

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