Review by: The Muskox

The SMWS has a couple of legendary bottlings of Clynelish… or at least they’re legendary on Reddit. This isn’t one of them – it’s only 14 years of age, but rather interestingly matured in a refill Sauternes cask.

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Distillery: Clynelish.

Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

Region: Highlands.

ABV: 56.8%. Cask strength.

Age: 14 years. Distilled April 17th 2001.

Cask type: Second-fill Sauternes white wine hogshead.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Very light and soft. Sweet scented wax, of course. Lemon curd, pineapple slices, honey, and a little rosewater. Some very gentle pepper. Lightly grassy, too. Soft malt comes in after a little while, graham-cracker-ish.

Several drops of water add some richness – vanilla custard, banana split, and dates.

Palate: Medium-thick texture, some heat. Wax and honey at first, than nectarine, red apple, and fig. Chewy toasted marshmallow in the middle, along with jam sandwich cookies, buttery shortbread, honeycomb, and some tangy grapefruit. Slightly grippy oak and a hint of lavender.

The water is somewhat less impactful here, rounding things out with toasted coconut and golden raisins.

Finish: Medium-length, sweet and fragrant. Waxed wood. Yellow plums, grapefruit, and some slightly-overripe tropical fruit. Honey and marshmallow. Lingering spicy fresh ginger.

The water adds a bit of bitterness, old pencils, and green fruit here.

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Alternate SMWS bottling name: “Flanders’ white wine spritzer debacle”

Conclusion: It’s certainly no “Bumblebees by the sea”, but it is tasty. A bit simpler than I would have liked, but as a big fan of honey, grapefruit, pineapple, and Sauternes casks, I predictably enjoyed this. It’s sort of similar in character to my bottle of 10yo Signatory Vintage Clynelish, with the same combination of wax, flowers, and that ginger spice on the finish. The cask is fairly subtle, which I think is a good thing for a fairly delicate spirit like Clynelish. Overall, a good whisky but not one I’d track down on the secondary.

Final Score: 84.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
• 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)