Review by: Raygun

This blended malt was one of the Diageo special releases back in 2018. Cladach is Gaelic for “shore,” and so this blends Diageo’s distilleries near the coast: Inchgower, Clynelish, Talisker, Oban, Caol, Ila, and Lagavulin. Thanks to Dustbunna for the sample. Rested about 15 minutes.

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Distillery: Blended malt   

Bottler: Diageo    

Region/style: Blended malt from six distilleries

ABV: 57.1%. 

Age: Not stated. Released in 2018 

Cask type: First-fill bourbon casks, refill hogsheads, refill European oak butts, and ex-bodega European oak butts. 

Color: 1.2 chestnut. Natural color and non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Some peat, furniture polish, a bit of chocolate, and some herbs. Thyme, mint, parsley. An eclectic mix. Smells pretty green. Not much oak, but some seaweed. Get some fruit that I missed the first time, sort of smoky muskmelon and orange.  

Palate: Yeah, that’s peated, but not in any very familiar way. A vegetal flavor that’s somewhat like Ledaig. Also something reminds me of Lagavulin. Chocolate mint, and now some sherry notes pop up. Fig jam, dried cherries. Some fresh fruit as well. Cha shao pork, that kind of sweet and charred flavor. Nice richness, with a sprinkle of salt. Still hard to place. Melon here as well, and something tropical, too. Starfruit and some kiwi. Definite honey to it. 

Finish: Not much heat. Moderate oak, with a turn toward some fruitcake sort of spice here. Smoky and again slightly meaty with some caramelized sweetness. Lapsang souchong tea. Not heavily sherried, but it’s there. Or even red wine, maybe. Good length. Seems less smoky this time and I’m noticing the fruit more. Honey and malt. 

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Guess: Peated, for sure. More than Benromach, but less than something like Ardbeg. And I think refill sherry, maybe red wine. Or heck, I suppose could be both if it’s Port Charlotte. Maybe a vatting of different casks. Doesn’t taste that old, maybe mid-teens. Around 55%. 

Post-reveal thoughts: Not bad. There’s no information on the proportions so I have no idea how much of it is peated, but the Talisker, Caol, Ila, and Lagavulin will certainly account for it. And there are some sherry casks in the vatting. Close on ABV, too. No age statement, so can’t tell how close I got there. Hard to guess a blended malt like this. I’m pretty satisfied with how I did.   

Conclusion: Other than Compass Box, there aren’t that many true blended malts (rather than teaspooned malts) at the higher end. Which is kind of a shame. This shows they can be really good; not inferior to single malts, but harder to market. It’s not the most coastal whisky out there in my opinion, but it’s very tasty.  

Score: 83

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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)