Clynelish
The Clynelish Distillery was officially founded in 1819 but the Clynelish distillery later became known as Brora and a more modern distillery which was built in 1967 adjacent to the old one is the distillery that we know today as Clynelish!!
The original version of Clynelish was mothballed in 1931 and remained closed until 1939, production was steady and in 1967 the sister distillery was built and within a year the old site was once again closed only to be re opened and re named as Brora in 1968..
The capacity of Clynelish as we now know it is 4.8 million litres of alcohol per year and is another of the very much loved malts that comes under the Diageo umbrella..
This is another distillery that finds most of its liquid disappearing into blends like Johnnie Walker and the Gold Label Reserve..
With not many official bottlings on the market the main ones to track down would be the 14 year old and the Distillers Edition. That being said there are more and more independent bottlings being found these days and amongst these there are some real gems..
24 Year Old 1995 Clynelish cask #11234 – Cask Strength Collection
Distillery.. Clynelish
Region.. Highlands
Age.. 24 years
Distilled.. November 1995
Bottled.. June 2020
Abv.. 52.2%
Cask.. Re-Fill Sherry Butt #11234
Outturn.. 556 Bottles
Bottler.. Signatory
Nose.. Dates, raisins and plum are instantly evident with espresso coffee, dark chocolate and a soft hint of cask charring brings evidence of liquorice and dusty old books and well worn leather armchairs..
Palate.. Chocolate and earthy Manuka honey jump first with a plum jam note gently pushing forward with espresso coffee, roasted chestnuts and peanut brittle. Cherries and icing hint at those typical Bakewell tart notes whilst aniseed, candied orange and just a hint of warm cinnamon bun drifts in.
Finish.. Spices and citrus
Thoughts.. I am not sure id pick this out as Clynelish in a blind tasting as it does seem to lack that typical waxy note but it is quite good none the less !
This is one of those drams that does show its age, those elegant notes surface quickly and it has that mustiness to it that comes with whisky that has sat waiting for its time to shine..
This is not one of those whiskies that instantly jumps out of the glass, it does however capture your imagination and holds the interest as it opens up at its own pace which is never a bad thing ! After all it has sat silently for 24 years so whats the rush ????
Superb whisky from Signatory..
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