Review by: Whiskery Turnip
Distillery: Clynelish.
Bottler: SMWS.
Region: Scotland/Highland Single Malt.
ABV: 56%. Cask Strength.
Age: 29 Years. Distilled on 13 Dec. 1984. Bottled in 2014.
Cask type: Refill Sherry Butt.
Nose: Fruity and waxy with citrus and orchard fruits, paraffin wax, cream, melon, subtle brine and aged shoyu.
Palate: Medium-bodied, herbal, creamy, spice, and subtle fruits, marshmallow, baking spices, candle wax, apple crumble, waxy fruity candies, a kiss of salt.
Finish: Long and lingering with fruits, sometimes with a fermented sweetness or funk.
Mental Image: Umami Scented Candle Sticks.
Conclusion: The aroma was chock full of fruits— a basket overflowing with pink lady apples, grapefruit, and blood orange. Paraffin wax and cream followed the fruit, lending the impression of birthday cake candles in buttercream frosting, almond tarts, or Fruit by the Foot. Melona appeared as melon joined the party and welcomed a subtle brine and fattiness: otoro with a gentle brushing of barrel-aged shoyu. Medium-bodied, the palate was herbal, creamy, and spicy, with more subtle fruits, primarily apple. Cream soda popped at first, or perhaps a birch beer spiced with chicory, marshmallows followed as baking spices sunk under a rising wave of herbal tarragon and apples. As waxy fruit candies and apple crumble lingered at the end, more candle wax developed with time. The finish was long and lingering with fruits, sometimes tropical, sometimes with a fermented sweetness and funk.
A good friend broke out this bottle for a celebratory whisky tasting: celebrating anniversaries, the return of another good friend, and a quiet afternoon tasting that had been rescheduled too many times. I found all of the wax and fruit I could possibly want on this Clynelish, though it lacked the same garden mustiness and earth that I fell in love with on several Clynelish I tried last year. I enjoyed the “umami” salt and brine on the nose and the birch or cream soda on the palate, but I was hoping for more depth and complexity on a nearly three-decade-old Clynelish. Really, though, those are minor quibbles in the grand scheme of things.
Overall, a deliciously special bottle with which to celebrate.
Final Score: 88.
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.
Malt Runners 