Review by: zSolaris

Distillery: Clynelish

Bottler: van Wees

Region: Highland

ABV: 46%

Cask Type: Refill Sherry Butt

Age: 21 Year. Distilled October 8th, 1996. Bottled November 2nd, 2017.

Color: 1.1, Burnished.

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Nose: (according to the wife) There’s a lot of tropical juice notes here. Its a blend of a few juices with a prominent pineapple base. There’s a bit of honey as well as a little bit of floral tea.

Palate: This is very bright with a lightly creamy mouthfeel. The tropical fruit notes from the nose make themselves available again here. There’s papaya, a bit of guava, some under-ripe mango, and some pineapple juice. Then a familiar banana-esque note pops its head which remind me heavily of banana Runts, complete with the bit of waxiness and artificial banana notes. With a bit of water, it becomes very creamy. The gauva note along with the banana Runts note also intensify.

Finish: Fairly long. The pineapple juice continues here before giving way to the waxy-banana note that was so present in the palate.

Conclusion: There are some things I’ve come to expect from a Clynelish but tropical fruit notes are not one of them. This whisky is packed full of tropical fruit from start to finish which go very well with the waxy-banana note of the Runts candy banana. The banana candy though does tend to dominate proceedings a bit and while I enjoy the flavor, some better balancing of flavors would’ve made this even better. Still, it’s very good and I’d love to have a bottle of this around.

Final Score: 82.

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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.