Review by: zSolaris

Scotch Whisky Review #338: Clynelish The Distiller’s Edition (1997)

Distillery: Clynelish.

Region: Highland.

Age: NAS. Distilled in 1997. Bottled in 2012.

Cask Type: Double Matured in Oloroso Seco Cask Wood

ABV: 46.0%

Price: Sample Courtesy of /u/herr_maltenberg.

Color: 1.2, Chestnut/Oloroso Sherry.

---

Nose: It’s sweet and a touch tropical. Pineapple is a major note here with aloe vera and lemon. Some floral tea floats in as well.

Palate: Much like the nose suggests, it is quite sweet. There’s loads of sherry and sugary notes. Pineapple juice and lemon come through nicely. With little bit of water, it becomes insanely waxy. The lemon note becomes more of a lemon curd note. Pineapple juice and powdered sugar wrap things up.

Finish: Medium to short in length. Powdered sugar all the way.

---

Conclusion: Clynelish in sherry for me is a risky proposition. While I love sherry matured whiskies and I love Clynelish, the marriage of the two doesn’t seem to go very well very often. This Distiller’s Edition from 2012 appears to strike that balance the right way however. The Clynelish distillery character survives and shines nicely with fruity and floral notes in the nose and a ton of wax on the palate. The finish is a touch too simplistic for my liking, but otherwise this is quite the tasty dram.

Final Score: 84.

---

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.