Clynelish Reserve (Game of Thrones House Tyrell)

Review by: zSolaris

Distillery: Clynelish

Region: Highland

Age: NAS.

ABV: 51.2%

Price: $60

Color: 1.4, Tawny.

Nose: (according to the wife) Pears are the first note that comes out. Cinnamon sticks and a bit of lemon follow closely. Some fresh cut herbs and grass wrap things up.

Palate: At full strength, it feels quite closed off and a touch hot. The main notes are of a sugary poached pear. With water, things do open up. There’s lots and lots of lemon along with of the famed Clynelish waxiness and a bit of sugar. The package reminds me of a mix of lemon flavored Starburst and lemon drops. You get a bit of waxy lemon along with a bit of tartness before plenty of sugar. There’s a touch of honey along with a bit of poached pear dusted with cinnamon. Warm malt also comes through.

Finish: Medium in length. More of the waxy lemon candies are present along with a bit of candied ginger.

Conclusion: While the Game of Thrones craze has come and is now long gone, this Clynelish was always the one of the line that I wanted to try. Distillery bottlings of Clynelish are scarce as it is and this one was bottled at a higher than standard ABV. That few extra percentage points of alcohol seem to have given this a nice lift up from the standard 14 year bottling. While it is still very refreshing, it comes packed full of a lot more flavor. The waxiness is quite evident along with some fantastic notes of lemon candies, poached pears, and candied ginger. From a value proposition, it offers a much better one than the standard 14 year as well. Overall, I’m just left wondering why the more regular Clynelish bottling couldn’t be like this one!

Final Score: 82

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

Published by zSolaris

Unknown's avatar

Home is where the corn is! Or at least that's what I told the wife before moving her from sunny Southern California to the Midwest anyway. She doesn't share my love of scotch, the drink, but has been incredibly supportive of my little wander down the rabbit hole. We do both share a love of Scotch, our dog, though (she named him, I swear!). He's the cutie in the profile pic.

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