In contrast of my inaugural Clynelish post, I've decided to go all bourbon today. A maturation that tends to favor Clynelish's famous "waxy" spirit beautifully. As one of the premier malts used in Johnnie Walker, official bottlings of Clynelish have been limited to the standard 14 year old, and the occasional Special Releases over the years, though independent bottlers have been able to get their hands on plenty of this 1995/1996 stock to show off this wonderful distillery's character to the masses.
Clynelish (Wemyss)
1995/24 Year |Wax and Wane| Hogshead - 46%
So ya, similar to SMWS, I have a love/hate relationship with Wemyss' labeling of their single casks. Their ability to summarize a bottle's "vibe" into a singular description is both leading and selfishly admirable.
Appearance: Old gold
First Whiff: Puffy Kellogg's Corn Pops.
Nose: Waxxy indeed. There's a very dense, heavy aroma of floral citron and honeysuckle melons, significant to Clynelish...which is clearly evident here. Citronella candles, of course, would be the easy description...but also that milled grain/cereal note sweetening things up a bit.
Palate: Super juicy, chunky, chewy, creamy texture...just stupendous. Warming citrus and juicy fruits all around, zesty lemon custard, sweet limes, ripe yellow bananas and warm, buttermilk biscuits.
Finish: Medium-short, but also crisp and refreshing.
Summary: Classic, extremely approachable...round, sweet, and waxy Clynelish. Curbed a bit by the abv, surely but punchy enough to do the trick. It's one of those bottles you take to a large gathering of friends and have it unsurprisingly end up being the group's favorite whisky of the night. Like "comfort food" whisky, if that makes any sense.
IDS SCORE: 90
Clynelish (WhiskyNerds)
1996/24 Year - Bourbon Hogshead WN001 – 54.9%
With the recent announcement of the WhiskyNerds' latest not-so-secret Islay bottling, I figured I'd finally dive into this one, from a few years ago. Some lofty expectations were made when this was released, as some would say that Clynelish is, in fact, the quintessential whisky nerds whisky.
Appearance: Pale/Medium brownish copper
First Whiff: Caramel candied apples.
Nose: Tight and a bit refrained, initially. Active, tannic wood with a sharp hint of ginger spice at first. Crisp red apples, slightly sour. Manuka honey and Butterfinger/toffee with a light dusting of cinnamon orange potpourri.
Palate: Medium, juicy body with a sour, citrus start which quickly fades into tropical fruit sensations. Warm pineapple juice, peaches...settling on lychee fruit towards the back.
Finish: Long and firm. Warming tropical notes that end with lingering of ground cumin and orange spice.
Summary: A less friendly cask than the Wemyss. Way more refrained, complex and uninviting with very little "pop" on the nose. The wood seems to have grabbed a hold of the spirit although there's a wonderful tropical side from the middle of the palate on. Sort of like a "mullet" dram, where it's all business in the front but a party in the back.
IDS SCORE: 88
Clynelish Duo
