Summer Duets Today Clynelish


June 29, 2021

	Summer Duets Today Clynelish
	Clynelish, but of course. It's not surprising at all that TWE would have chosen the 14 as one of their 20 whiskies that changed the world. Between us, they could have chosen one of theirs instead, but they are smarter than that.

Clynelish 14 yo (46%, OB, +/-2021)

I remember I did not like the first rendition of Clynelish 14 at all. Things have changed quite a wee bit. Colour: gold. Nose: sour apples, weissbeer, vanilla, mead, beeswax and a little chardonnay. We're softer than expected here, much softer. Much, much softer… Mouth: I'm thinking Oban, and that's not only because of it being a 14 as well. I'm missing the waxy fatness here, the greasiness, the oils and all the citrus. On the other hand, some kinds of salty teas are there, dog rose… Finish: medium, with a little gritty oak. Green tea. Comments: a strange toned-down version, thinner, lighter, missing some of the markers (the waxes) and with more oak. Still an extremely fine dram, but isn't Clynelish 14 getting some wee rest?
SGP:341 – 81 points.

Clynelish 2010/2021 (59.7%, The Single Malts of Scotland, cask #800204)

Brand new stuff, not even sure about the data while the picture's just for illustration purpose. Colour: straw. Nose: the 2010s aren't the waxier of them all but we're already finding a very clean combination of sunflower oil, beeswax, grapefruits and white asparagus, plus touches of coconut and vanilla. With water: touches of white oak, coconut, bread, croissants, marshmallow, aniseed… Mouth (neat): bonbons aplenty, Haribo's best, marshmallows and bubblegum. Very young and very sweet. With water: yeah, there, it was in need of water. Herbs, rhubarb, sage, seaweed, samphire, salt, leaven and yeasts… Finish: long and spicier, with more pepper and, perhaps, ginseng. More sweetness again in the aftertaste. Comments: very good and way above the OB, just a tad young.
SGP:541 - 85 points.

I agree we need another one, thanks for your input…

Clynelish 1996/2020 (54.2%, Whisky Maniac, Sansibar Clans, bourbon hogshead, 282 bottles)

Clans. At least that's pretty Scottish, more Scottish than Kabuki dancers or Chinese samurais, for sure. Did Chinese samurais ever exist, by the way? Colour: straw. Nose: more profound, more on cereals, fatter, more on a beehive and anything that's inside, including honey. With water: more hay, perhaps. Mouth (neat): looks like this is pretty perfect. Meursaulty, with some grapefruit, chalk, tarter apples, a wee yeastiness, even beer… With water: dough, breads, mint, aniseed, cider apples, chalk… Finish: same for a rather long time. Comments: this is Clynelish with a genuine Clynelish engine inside, bordering stardom.
SGP:552 - 89 points.

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