A new quartet of Clynelish


July 21, 2026

Mr Duff
Mr William Duff, manager of Clynelish
Distillery in... 1934 (D.C.L. Gazette)

A new quartet of Clynelish (or a mini vertical tasting)

One can hardly leave this wretched little website running without slipping in a few Clynelishes from time to time. Preferably once a month... More or less. We'll revisit the official 14-year-old one of these days, but for the moment we've a few new independents to get our teeth into... It's true that our relationship with the '14 OB' has often been a rather turbulent one...

Clynelish 10 yo 2015/20126 (52.8%, The Whisky Exchange, Zodiac series, Virgo, cask #51246, 255 bottles)

A new series from the witches and wizards at TWE. It couldn't have come at a better time, as I happen to be a Virgo myself. The wise Virgo, naturally, not the wild one. Colour: sauvignon blanc. Nose: a Clynelish that is above all wonderfully fresh, brimming with cucumber, gooseberries, angelica, plums and green melon. In short, it's gloriously green. The trademark wax is keeping a pretty low profile for the time being, although a few hints of coconut milk are beginning to emerge. With water: fresh beer and newly baked bread. We almost drift back towards the mash, with a generous helping of jellybeans straight from a family-sized bag. Mouth (neat): what really impresses here is the precision, even more so than the texture once again. Chalk, lemon and crisp green apples. Very much a no-wax Clynelish indeed. With water: now we're firmly into little fruit sweets and even Jell-O. Well, almost. Finish: medium in length, very fruity, bright, exuberant and rather demonstrative. Right at the death, perhaps just a little touch of beeswax. Pink peppercorns. Comments: an excellent youthful Clynelish in an overtly fruity style.
SGP:651 - 86 points.

Clynelish 12 yo 2013/2026 (52.4%, Lucky Choice & Oxhead Whisky, Time’s Telling, hogshead, cask #334328, 160 bottles)

Colour: deep gold. Nose: the complete opposite of the previous one, this is much richer, fatter and packed with preserved citrus fruits, alongside little mentholated and liquorice-laced molecules. Lovely touches of Nuoc-mam sauce and candle wax too. Quite indeed. With water: a lightly smoky, cured meatiness joins the party. Bottarga as well. Mouth (neat): immensely rich and powerful yet still displaying that wonderfully razor-sharp edge that is so typical. Bitter oranges, green walnuts, chestnut honey, smoked nougat, if such a thing were ever to exist, and mandarins. With water: absolutely no change, the combination remains exactly the same. Finish: long, resinous, waxy and citrus-led. Comments: absolutely excellent. Now tuck it away in the cellar for another twenty years and, presto, you'll have a very great bottle of 'modern' Clynelish.
SGP:561 - 89 points.

Clynelish 25 yo 2001/2026 (49.4%, Thompson Bros., website exclusive, refill hogshead, cask #215, 130 bottles)

It's worth remembering that from the top floor of their castle in Dornoch, the two Thompson brothers have what is almost a direct view of Clynelish distillery. Give or take a few dozen kilometres... They can therefore keep an eye on all the comings and goings and spot the casks that the warehousemen are handling with particular care... At least in theory... Colour: deep gold. Nose: very much in the same vein as the 2013, only with a little extra complexity and a more accomplished fusion of citrus zests and waxes. Nutshell, it's rather magnificent. With water: lovely little notes of fresh rubber and bitter almonds emerge. Mouth (neat): much the same story, the 2013 again, only thicker and tauter at the same time. With water: remarkable how water lifts it and adds layers of complexity, even if it does make it decidedly herbaceous at this stage. A little salted butter caramel quietly slips into the picture. Finish: long. It's edging ever closer to textbook Clynelishness, only in a far more herbaceous guise than usual. Comments: in truth, this is quite an atypical Clynelish, seemingly driven by a single ambition, to keep you guessing every step of the way. In short, it's something of a lovable troublemaker.
SGP:461 - 89 points.

Clynelish 30 yo 1995/2025 (51.6%, Lucky Choice for Acorn & The Antelope, refill sherry butt, cask #8765, 233 bottles)

We have every reason to believe this baby is going to be excellent. Especially the refill part, because remember, 'refill is the deal'. Colour: deep gold. Nose: it opens on furniture polish, those red dipping sauces served with dim sum, do forgive my ignorance, quince jelly, top-notch finos, whether from PX seco or Palomino, snapped branches, green walnuts, mustard and horseradish. With water: an increasingly obvious mead-like side emerges, along with dried fruits, and the whole becomes noticeably rounder. Mouth (neat): an immediate explosion of tertiary aromas. Preserved lemon peel and myriads of spices from every corner of the globe. With water: and there we are, textbook Clynelish, all honey and wax, alongside that fino-like profile once again, green walnuts, seawater and a little touch of mustard. Finish: tobacco, rather like sucking on your puro. As far as I can remember, it's been almost twenty years since I last did that. Comments: excellent, of course.
SGP:461 - 89 points.

Well, probably no outright superstar today, but we've nevertheless remained firmly in the upper echelon. See you soon for many more Clynelishes, especially from the early 1970s or the early 1980s. The crème de la crème of the crème (of the crème) ...

Check the index of all Clynelish we've tasted