Clynelish 21 Year (1983) Dun Bheagan

Review by: TOModera

So for those of you just joining us, I go out to Feather’s Pub, either buy myself a bunch of drams or others buy me drams, we have a good time, I spend a long time reviewing them, go home inebriated, and wake up apologizing to my wife.

And sometimes the cats.

Moving along, we’re onto the Highland of this time, and I didn’t end up getting to select this one myself. You see my wife was there, and she, after her first double gin and tonic, needed to pick out a dram. You see she loves doing that and not telling me. Because it’s funny to watch me guess, as I’m bad as hell at mystery drams.

Granted I’m working on them.

Not to mention, it was the Highland pick. I mean, COME ON! I suck at Highlands!

In the end she picked one that I had a little experience with the distillery. Clynelish isn’t even the original Clynelish! It was made beside the original Clynelish, which then reopened when there was an Islay shortage, and went under the new name Brora.

Clynelish 21 Dun Bheagan is a Cask Strength offering from those Enigmatic (not really) souls (I guess) over at Dun Bheagan. It was aged in Hogsheads… and that’s all I could find out about it. No chill filtration, as is the Dun Bheagan way, and with natural colour. Trust me when I say, when it’s other peoples’ money, my wife can pick’em.

Just look at me!

Distillery: Clynelish Distillery.

Bottler: Dun Bheagan (Ian Macleod).

Region: Highland.

ABV: 56.9%. Cask strength.

Age: 21 years. Distilled in 1983. Bottled in 2004.

Cask type: Hogshead.

Price: N/A.

Color: Pale Apple juice

Nose: Citrus, smoke, sugar cane, wax, agave

Different mixture, sends up some alarm bells that I’ve had something like this before, though it’s really sweet. Looking back, I’m guessing the mixture of Highlands, which can be sweet, with Hogsheads, which can add some sweetness, probably amped it up.

Taste: Candy cane, spruce, anise, carrot, molasses

Wow this is sweet. Just a little bit of pine, and then vegetal sweetness with herbal sweetness with some Newfie ketchup just to amp it up.

Finish: Smoke, mint, arugula/pepper & vegetal note, wood chips, mushroom

A little bit of smoke, earth, and a mixture that creates a nice minty finish. Not bad… for a Highland.

Conclusion: Cask Strength, non-chill filtered, no colouring, and 21 years old. Better taste amazing, right? Well… it’s okay. I mean, it has some nice unique (if few) flavours to it, and I eventually guessed the distillery, however I wish there was more complexity. At the time, it’s just really, really sweet. It needs something to cut that sweetness.

It’s almost like the 14, except the sweet finish is now an even sweeter part throughout. At least it doesn’t smell like mustard like the last one…

Final Score: 80.

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.

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