Happy International Whisky Day with Clynelish and some news


March 27, 2026

Happy International Whisk(e)y Day!

This special day celebrates the original International Whisky Day, first launched on Whiskyfun back in 2008 with modesty and little fanfare, after a suggestion from renowned Dutch whisky writer Hans Offringa. Every year, the occasion is marked on the birthday of the legendary whisky writer Michael Jackson, honouring his lasting influence on the whisky world following his passing in 2007.

Ordinarily, on such occasions we enjoy Macallans from the distillery’s golden age, but it seems we have by now more or less covered the field, even if there are probably still two or three Vintages we have yet to taste. In any case, we chose instead to sample some Clynelish today.

The reasons are simple: first we love Clynelish almost as much as Mickael Jackson adored Macallan, and second, in his celebrated annual guide The Malt Whisky Companion, ‘Emjay’ wrote:

“Cult status seems to have been conferred in recent years on the Clynelish distillery and its adjoining predecessor, Brora, which command the middle stretch of the northern Highlands. The appeal of their malts lies partly in their coastal aromas and flavours. Sceptics may question the brininess of coastal malts, but some bottlings of Brora and Clynelish make that characteristic hard to deny. They are the most maritime of the East Coast malts.”

It should, however, be remembered that, in reality, Michael Jackson did not hold Clynelish or Brora in especially high regard in his guide, being content to score their expressions somewhere around 78–81 points. No matter, long live the memory of Michael Jackson, long live International Whisk(e)y Day, and long live Clynelish and Brora!

And now, aperitif time…

King’s Legend ‘Old Special’ (no ABV statement, OB, Ainslie & Heilbron, UK, blend, +/-1960)

The best-known Clynelish blend, perhaps on a par with Royal Edinburgh, but I’ve often found King’s Legend superior. Colour: light gold. Nose: we immediately find one of the main hallmarks of Old Clynelish, Brora and ‘New’ Clynelish, beeswax mingled with plasticine, all of it sitting atop a layer of white flowers (honeysuckle, clover) and ripe apples and plums. The whole is very malty, rather mineral in the end, with no really detectable vanilla or coconut. In short: quite some blend. Mouth: the coastal, saline and greasy minerality (mineral oils) is absolutely immense, and you really get the impression that this is old Clynelish at 80° proof. Perhaps that was indeed the case? There are also notes of pebbles, the sort we used to suck when children, along with cement, gum arabic, but also lime, which is common in old Clynelish. A formidable blend (if it really is a blend) Finish: a little shorter, but still mineral and even slightly ‘industrial’. A machine oil feeling. Seawater returns in the aftertaste. Comments: top blend, to be placed alongside the White Horses, Logans and Mackie’s of the same era.
SGP:463 - 90 points.

Let’s go back to a young, recent Clynelish, before moving on to older vintages…

Clynelish 11 yo 2014/2025 ‘Hogmanay Bottling’ (48.1%, Thompson Bros., refill hogshead, 223 bottles)

Obviously, given the location of their castle in Dornoch, the two brothers can practically glimpse Clynelish distillery to the north from their window, and on a very clear day, perhaps even Pulteney. I may be exaggerating slightly, admittedly… Colour: deep gold. Nose: completely on salted butter fudge at first, metal polish too, then more and more maritime elements, right down to dried seaweed and driftwood picked up on the beach. A few old walnuts as well. Mouth: sharper on the palate, more lemony, tangy, with a rather Japanese side that’s quite hard to pin down, perhaps those mixes of pickled ginger and wasabi. In any case, I rather adore this faintly… Jamaican edge. One could almost think the cask was ex-Hampden. I do mean ‘almost’. Finish: same again, with very good length and a more peppery profile. Comments: it has to be said that, on top of that, 48% vol. is a perfect bottling strength.
SGP:463 - 88 points.

Clynelish 12 yo 2013/2026 (49.1%, Thompson Bros., dechar French and American oak hogsheads, 613 bottles)

Of course, the cats tend to steal the limelight on Clynelish labels, even if here we seem rather far from any proper Scottish wildcat. Colour: white wine. Nose: this baby is more mineral, almost granitic, which makes it a little austere, but we do rather like these profiles. Brake fluid, linseed oil, sauvignon blanc, honeysuckle, even a touch of green pepper, then more and more lemon zest. Mouth: same sharp fruity and floral profile, we are almost in Hugo spritz territory here, then on to a little glass of soluble lemon aspirin. And yet, I promise you, it wouldn’t give you a headache. It then becomes more herbal and bitter, though in a very pleasing way (fino). Finish: long, fresh, taut, ultra-classic. Comments: I don’t quite feel brave enough to score this baby differently from the previous one, although they are very different indeed.
SGP:462 - 88 points.

Clynelish 12 yo 2013/2025 ‘25th Anniversary Dornoch Castle’ (50.5%, Thompson Bros., Rejuvenated Hungarian oak, cask #314380, 344 bottles)

They might as well try to rejuvenate Viktor Orban too, if you ask me. And between us, Dornoch Castle struck me as rather older than just 25 years the last time I passed by. Colour: full gold. Nose: well now, this has the best of the two previous ones, all fused together here. Magnificent citrus fruits, chalk, honey, walnut liqueur, beeswax, and that little medicinal side once again (aspirin tablets). With water: rain-soaked wool, shoe polish, plaster, paraffin. Mouth (neat): this is simply splendid, more peppery, but also with varnish and even glue, bitter orange, zests, sea water, paprika (well of course, Hungarian goulash, S.). With water: it becomes perfect with two drops of water. Oysters, clams, lime, waxes… Finish: long, fresh, almost cheerful, with wee echoes of the Clynelish 12-year-old from 50 years ago. That mineral side. Surprising notes of apricot jam in the aftertaste. Comments: superb, there are even little Balblair-ish touches. It’s true, we’re not very far off…
SGP:551 - 90 points.

Clynelish 14 yo (55.1%, Elixir Distillers, Macbeth Act Two, Servant, first fill bourbon, 1600 bottles, 2024)

We really have very little to fear here… Colour: white wine. Nose: immaculate Clynelish, all on beeswax, vanilla pod and bergamot, with wet chalk, then a few maritime puffs. Lastly, touches of green orange/Orange Verte (from Hermès). With water: wafts of dill, fennel and caraway. How amusing this is! Mouth (neat): even simpler than on the nose, which is a virtue, let’s be clear about that. Chalk, green orange zest, green kumquat, no less green pepper… Magnificent tension, with a more discreet waxy side. With water: it softens, moving towards lemon cream. You could almost find a little meringue. Finish: not tremendously long, but superbly balanced, with lemon blossom honey coming along to soften the whole thing even further. Comments: I’m sorry, I am utterly incapable of resisting this sort of lovely little baby from Sutherland.
SGP:551 - 90 points.

Here’s another “young” one, only much older. You know what I mean.

Clynelish 11 yo 1982/1994 (66.3%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, Meregali Import)

I can no longer remember whether it was around those years that the famous receivers (especially for the low wines) were regularly cleaned of the well-known natural ‘gunge’ that would settle there and lend the distillate that particularly singular waxy side. This overzealous cleaning, though of course well intentioned, actually removed part of Clynelish’s DNA. Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: far too powerful, far too much on eau de cologne to be properly enjoyed neat, isn’t it. With water: so typical of malts from that era and from this series. Zero cask influence, tonnes of flint and leaven, and at least forty kilos of lawn clippings. Only a few touches of bergamot suggest that this is in fact a Clynelish. Mouth (neat): concentrated lemon juice, multiplied a thousandfold. We shan’t insist, if you don’t mind. With water: boom, everything comes out, lemon balm, chalk, gunflint, gentian, mezcal, salsify… But not really the proverbial wax, as we rather suspected. Finish: lemon balm blossom and vegetable juice, a few drops of limoncello in the aftertaste, and half a drop of sea water. Comments: do not taste this without water, friendly advice.
SGP:561 - 86 points.

Clynelish 24 yo 2001/2025 ‘A Sutherland Dram’ (48.9%, Thompson Bros., refill hogshead, 135 bottles)

I’m afraid this may be way too excellent, as Gen Z would put it. Colour: light gold. Nose: a floral Clynelish, chiefly on dandelion and discreet rose, but then an army of little aromas starts to invade the senses, boiled ham, beeswax and pollen, ripe apple, orange blossom, elderflower, woodruff, angelica, roots and twigs, button mushrooms, fresh butter… all that only to end on a tiny drop of coconut milk. Mouth: livelier, more precise, sharper, earthier and more citrus-driven, with certain aspects that remind you of that famous Orkney distillery that does not begin with the letter S. And which we taste rather often. In the end it is simpler on the palate than on the nose, but of utterly mad elegance, Kill Bill-style as we so often say. Finish: long, sharp, more citrusy and more peppery. Mint, green tea and roots in the aftertaste. Comments: the complexity of the nose is rather astonishing, if you grant it a little of your precious time, and even more so if you add a drop of water (which we have taken into account in our modest score).
SGP:462 - 91 points.

Clynelish 31 yo 1993/2025 (47,8%, Lucky Choice & Abyss Whisky Bar, bourbon barrel, cask #11085)

Here we are again in Hong Kong, and once more there’s a cat on the label. Our feline assistants at Château Whiskyfun (Soba, Perle, P’tit Noir, Tigrou and Dolphy) can only applaud with all four paws. Colour: pale gold. Nose: epitomically Clynelish. Sublime beeswax, orange liqueur, first rainwater, mandarin (and chen-pi), oysters, seaweed, roots, chalk and fresh mint. I bow. Mouth: just a hair more rustic, with a tea-ish side, dry tobacco and slightly more marked tannins, but this is also one of those bourbon barrels that drift admirably towards dry sherry, for unknown reasons (to me), with walnuts and gorgeous mild mustard. Finish: long, heading towards citrus fruits and mints, which lifts the whole thing skywards, towards the azure and its eagles. Well, you see what I mean. Comments: it is perfect on the nose but not quite perfect on the palate, and that is precisely when you tell yourself that perfection may well be boring. In short, we adore it, and as we’re off to Hong Kong soon, we do hope we might taste it again there (message received?)
SGP:472 - 92 points.

It’s probably time to draw this Clynelish cavalcade to a close, perhaps with this baby…

Clynelish 40 yo 1984/2025 (46.7%, Gordon & MacPhail, Book of Kells, for T.D.M. Whisky, Minus, Casky & Malt Barks, refill American hogshead, cask #4103, 122 bottles)

I find it absolutely brilliant when several bars and motivated entities join forces to commission a bottling as prestigious as a 40-year-old Clynelish from G&M. It gets to the point where we wonder what on earth we’ve done to deserve the honour of tasting it… (with only slight exaggeration). Colour: pale gold. Mad. Nose: we are so close to the previous one! The beauty and poetic elegance of a fine refill cask, without the slightest vulgar intervention from some extrovert barrel or flashy wine, even if there are indeed discreet touches of coconut and banana here. The rest is all about a beehive in the thick of the spring honey flow, with fresh wax, pollen, the season’s first honeys, and rare little citrus fruits of the sort one finds at Fortnum & Mason, La Grande Épicerie or Globus. It would almost be a slightly conservative nose, if not elegantly reactionary, but without the slightest gram of pre-fascism (S., do stop that). Mouth: we have reached the end of the journey with this beautiful old malt, and you can feel those slightly over-woody, slightly tisane-like notes knocking at the door, though they have not quite come in yet. It is always a moving moment, all the more so as the fresh and fruity notes, especially under the guidance of oranges and pink peppercorns, are still firmly in power. I’ve no idea whether any of what I’m telling you makes the slightest sense, but please do take my word for it. Finish: not very long, but with notes of peach skin that are admittedly unusual, though rather close to those of an old Borderies Cognac. We always say it, old spirits do converge. Comments: an old whisky just on the verge of crossing over to the other side, but which for the moment remains wonderful. Absolutely perfect timing, though we are not remotely surprised.
SGP:561 - 92 points.

Again, Happy International Whisk(e)y Day!

Was it a sign of destiny?

I had been most kindly invited by my friend Nicolas (Whisky Magazine France) to attend the World Whisky Awards ceremony, held in London at the Waldorf on Wednesday evening, just two days before International Whisk(e)y Day.
Between ourselves, I had quietly prepared for the possibility, just in case, of receiving an award along the lines of “Communicator of the Year”, which was in fact presented to our excellent friend Joel Harrison.
As it turns out, however, I was actually inducted into Whisky Magazine’s Hall of Fame, as number 110.

Do rest assured, the evening was
far less stuffy than this little photo
might suggest.

I do not believe I truly deserve such an honour, but then again, they do say one does not refuse these things.

In short: an excellent evening, excellent friends, excellent whiskies, but above all, I realised that inductee no. 1, the very, very, very first, was… Michael Jackson!

So of course I raised a toast to him across the stars, whose very substance, I have since learned, is in fact made up of clouds of malt whisky.

Cheers, à ta santé, Michael Jackson!