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.

4.174 Conflict between light and shade (Highland Park 1999, 13 years old)

Information

Distillery: Highland Park
Bottling: Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Age: 13
Distilled: 1999
Bottled: 2013
Strength: 53.0%
Cask: First fill ex-bourbon barrel.
Cask Code: 4.174 Conflict between light and shade

Nose: I immediately think I am drinking sweet pear cider at the beach. Lots of sweet ripe fruit. Pears, peaches and plums surrounded by salty sea air. Pineapple, lemon & lime and vanilla in "twister" ice cream lollies. I was discussing recently with someone that it must be a reflection of my West of Scotland diet that sweets, ice creams, and biscuits are more detectable than actual fruit! Creamy and honeyed. Lemon sherbet sweets, chocolate covered shortbread. Light and young but not harsh at all even at its higher strength with a lovely restrained smoke just contrasting all the lovely fruit and oak elements.

Palate: Lightly salted limes. Smooth, chewy and syrupy. The lemon and lime flavours really shining here with spicy pepper and nutmeg.

Finish: Long and biscuity, with the citrus coming through again. I have never tasted key lime pie, but I imagine in my head that this is how it tastes.

Comments: This is very delicious, highly drinkable and reminds me of some older Broras.The barrel unfortunately only yielded 84 bottles so there are only 84 bottles of this exact whisky in the world and they have all gone now.