Clynelish 1990 - 23 year old (Adelphi)

Distillery: Clynelish
Bottling: Adelphi
Age: 23
Distilled: 1990
Bottled: 2013
Strength: 54.8%.
Cask Number: 3233

Nose: Red apple, pear drops and strawberry sherbets. The strawberry continues with Campino sweets and the apple continues with toffee apples, and then with apple pie, vanilla ice cream and a bit of butter shortbread served on the plate as well. Some Snowballs from Gregg's with the coconut and a bit of jam in the middle. Yum. I'm eating all of this in an old fashioned dining room with lots of freshly polished wood with pledge.

Palate: Creamy, soft and rounded. White chocolate, a little treacle, honeyed and waxy.

Finish: Medium long with a dry apple cider, ginger root, coriander seeds, and chocolate covered hazelnuts.

Clynelish 1970s

Information

Distillery: Clynelish
Bottling: Gordon & MacPhail
Age: 12
Distilled: 1960s?
Bottled: 1970s?
Strength: 70 proof (40%)

This is a lovely old style Clynelish from when Gordon & MacPhail was the official licensed bottler. With the strength listed as proof rather than ABV I know it was bottled at the most recent the late 70s which would put distillation in at least the late 1960s. This is only the most recent, but it could be older. I will contact Gordon & MacPhail to see if they can supply any information.

For such a young age and a low alcohol percentage, this is a very oily and viscous spirit. Has it not been chill-filtered or is it just a heavier bodied spirit anyway?

Nose: This has a very citus nose with freshly squeezed orange juice and touches of tangerine in there as well. Lemon icing on sponge cake. The body of the spirit is reflected in the nose as well with a thick waxiness. Wavering around the background is a gentle and lovely sootyness.

Palate: This is as expected a very thick and oily spirit with lots of body. Suprisingly for only 40% it has a higher alcohol kick than I would expect, and more than I would get from any modern malts at 40%. I hazard a guess that the heavier body is allowing the spirit to stick to the palate a lot more than more watery spirits. Just a guess.

Finish: A very long finish that is spicy, dusty and sooty. Citric. Some soapy elements which have been noted in old miniatures by other people. Likely an effect of the fats breaking down to soap over time.

Comments: If I ever get a chance to buy a full bottle of this and I am sure they exist on some collectors dusty shelf somewhere, I shall purchase it.

26.55 Savoury Delight (Clynelish 8 year old)

Information

Distillery: Clynelish
Bottling: Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Age: 8
Distilled: 1999
Bottled: 2008
Strength: 62.4%.
Cask Code: 26.55 Savoury Delight

Nose: Another one of these SMWS bottles with a pretty closed nose. Lemon, lime, unripe pear and freshly sliced apple. Coconut, floor polish. Fresh ginger and ground pepper. Leather jackets.

Palate: Massive exposion of flavour that didn't exist on the nose. Salt, more salt, salted pretzls, salted meat, sausages and hot dogs. Savoury indeed. Some toffee and hazelnuts.

Finish: Long and lip smacking. Salty.

26.92 Hard glazed pretzel sticks (Clynelish 28 year old)

Information

Distillery: Clynelish
Bottling: Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Age: 28
Distilled: 1984
Bottled: 2013
Strength: 58.2%
Cask: Refill sherry butt.
Cask Code: 26.92 Hard glazed pretzel sticks

Nose: Very light and delicate. Tangerine is most prominent, but sharper like when you are peeling a tangerine and it squirts out in your eye. Melon and also the a woody earthy note like the melon seeds themselves. Tunnock's Caramel Logs - Chocolate, Caramel, Biscuit with a covering of desicated coconut. Some heather and hay. Marmalade on burnt toast. These are by no means strong notes as this is very closed on the nose and takes a lot of deep digging in the glass. The longer I hold the glass in my hand the more it very gradually opens up and becomes more tropical. More meaty and briny notes appear later on for me here. Salty bacon and sausages.

Palate: Salted fruits. Lemon. Spicy, Peppery with the bite of fresh Ginger. Salt & Vinegar crisps. Dry desicated coconut.

Finish: Fizzy lemonade alongside salty briny flavours. Spicy. More salt. Gentle oak and a little smouldering smoke.