Google A short vertical tasting of four Clynelish including our 20000th
 
 

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Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé!
   
   
 

June 4, 2024


Whiskyfun

Serge's 20,000th tasting note for a whisky

Of course, it's just a number for little Whiskyfun, to which it would be appropriate to add Angus's notes and mine for spirits other than whisky. Nonetheless, twenty thousand whiskies isn't too bad. I've thought a bit and hesitated a lot about which distillery we would choose for our 20,000th. I was tempted by Brora, but we already have a Brora session planned for the end of the month, with some extremely, but very extremely interesting versions, you'll see. So, if it's not Brora that we'll have in our glass today, it must be...

WF 20000

 

 

A short vertical tasting of four Clynelish

 

Whisky #19,997

Secret Highland 11 yo 2010/2022 (55%, The Whisky Baron, Founder's Collection, hogshead, cask #2499)

Secret Highland 11 yo 2010/2022 (55%, The Whisky Baron, Founder's Collection, hogshead, cask #2499) Four stars and a half
This is indeed a Clynelish. Those little 2010s can be excellent, as we know, and most of them are in fact 'secretly' offered by the independents. Colour: as pale as a young white wine. Nose: there's scarcely a hint of beeswax, yet it's brimming with an impressive array of both dry and damp chalkiness, complemented by sharp green apple notes, tangy rhubarb, zesty lime, and a subtle suggestion of fresh white bread dough. There's a fleeting fermenting note in the background. With water: it transforms; becoming strikingly mineral-heavy with an emphasis on chalk, limestone, and basalt, while the waxiness shifts from beeswax to paraffin, accompanied by that quintessential raw wool character. Mouth (neat): sharply defined and robust, it leans towards green flavours—think apple peels, citrus zest, and gooseberries, all underpinned by that persistent chalky quality. A whisper of paraffin surfaces briefly. With water: there's a delightful release of more pronounced beeswax, interspersed with pink peppercorn and a lemon vibrancy. Finish: long, piercingly sharp, refreshing. Leaves a peppery aftertaste. Comments: quite remarkable, though hardly surprising. It's a pity that the Clynelish name is gradually fading from a significant part of the whisky aficionado market...
SGP:551 - 89 points.

Whisky #19,998

Highland 19 yo 2003/2022 (57.3%, Chorlton Whisky, Marsala hogshead, 265 bottles)

Highland 19 yo 2003/2022 (57.3%, Chorlton Whisky, Marsala hogshead, 265 bottles) Four stars
Double-matured in Marsala casks for a rather generous period, this enigma has apparently seen its details shrouded in mystery, with essential information having been 'misplaced'. One is left to speculate whether this could possibly be a Clynelish. Colour: gold/apricot. Nose: elusive indeed, though certain aspects are reminiscent of Clynelish ex-sherry expressions from the mid-1990s, such as those bottled by Cadenhead. There's a rather complex assortment of aromas including miso, a striking amount of struck matches, beef jerky, raisins, some PX sherry-like nuances from the Marsala, exhaust fumes, and beef broth. In fact, this could hail from a number of distilleries, given the overpowering presence of the Marsala influence. With water: umami bursts forth, alongside notes of Maggi, sulphur, gas, and a hint of dark chocolate. Mouth (neat): a robust palate featuring heavy leather, bay leaves, sour cherries, dried beef, and pickled mushrooms, all underpinned by a raw chocolate backbone. It's quite the beastly dram, and I confess, it left me unable to pinpoint its distillery of origin—a touch embarrassing. It might be C., B.N., O.P., GT, or even O.F. With water: the character becomes sweeter, more rounded, yet the leathery side persists, actually becoming more pronounced. Accompanying this are tobacco and pepper notes, dashed with sour bitters. Finish: long and increasingly leafy. Comments: this whisky went off the beaten track, making it rather fun, although I must admit, it likely isn't a Clynelish. But then again…
SGP:572 - 85 points.

Whisky #19,999

Clynelish 27 yo 1996/2023 (49.3%, Maltbarn, 'The 26', bourbon cask)

Clynelish 27 yo 1996/2023 (49.3%, Maltbarn, 'The 26', bourbon cask) Four stars and a half
Colour: pale gold. Nose: ripe bananas, beeswax, vanilla, apricot tarte, acacia honey (sadly, none of that this year locally, as the incessant rains washed everything away and it was too cold for the bees to venture out of their hives). There are also delicate hints of chocolate mint leaf. A charming, delicate, almost genteel Clynelish. Mouth: it slips down effortlessly, as we say. There are some peppery notes, citrus fruits, beeswax, and a dash of lemon juice that sharpens it, giving it a more pointed, nervous edge. There's a slight nod towards a 'Scottish daiquiri', if you will. Finish: medium-length, returning to honeyed tones. There's white pepper in the aftertaste. Comments: it's very beautiful, undeniably, though perhaps not quite a total showstopper.
SGP:651 - 89 points.

Alright, let's jump over the 1980s and find our wee 20,000th…

Whisky #20,000

Clynelish 30 yo 1971/2002 (52.6%, The Coopers Choice, cask #2705, 252 bottles)

Clynelish 30 yo 1971/2002 (52.6%, The Coopers Choice, cask #2705, 252 bottles) Five stars
So, we hereby officially declare this as our 20,000th whisky tasting note, knowing that our counts are meticulously done by hand daily, which we sometimes forget to do, suggesting we have quite likely surpassed this number some months ago. We are purely in the realm of symbolism here… In fact we have indeed sipped from this delicate Clynelish before but never penned a tasting note; it was high time. This is already the 'new' Clynelish, whilst the original, Brora, had started to craft some real wonders. Colour: coppery gold. Nose: often termed a 'beehivey' nose, which translates to an array of scents one might find in a beehive: honey, of course, beeswax, fir wood, pollen, propolis, and flower nectar. Just imagine adding a bag of old apples and pears to this mix. It's quite splendid indeed. With water: pine and fir become more pronounced, yet the honeyed and waxy notes continue to lead, complemented by a typical hallmark of Clynelish from around 1970-1983, the citrons. Mouth: simply honey with a bit of marmalade and pink grapefruit juice. Exquisite! With water: some gentle spiciness from the wood, but the distillate itself had already spoken volumes. Finish: this is the most 'delicate' part of this old Clynelish, now slightly dominated by the wood here and thus a tad less brilliant, less assertive. But it remains wonderful, naturally. Aftertaste of mint tea. Comments: these slight vulnerabilities add a great deal of charm to these old whiskies, the ones we sometimes call the "old old" (old whisky, old bottling).
SGP:651 - 90 points.

I suppose our 20,001st whisky will be an Islay; we'll see...

More tasting notesCheck the index of all Clynelish we've tasted so far

 

 

 
   

 

 

 

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