Clynelish 9 Year, Single Cask Nation
Whisky : Clynelish 9 Year, Single Cask Nation
Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside
ABV : 58.1%
Cask : First Fill Ex-Bourbon
Age : 9 Years (Distilled Jan. 2010, Bottled March 2019)
Nose : Creamy and fruity. Sweet sticky tub of vanilla cake frosting, cake sprinkles, funfetti, and creamy butter cream frosting. Cutting through the cream were notes of citrus fruits and juicy fruit gum.
Palate : Medium bodied and waxy with bright citrus and hints of herbs. An initial blast of citrus and citrus oil, lemons and calamansi, led the way with a tart twist, before chalky, faintly earthy notes appeared. Tart citrus gave way to grass stains, dried herbs, thistle, and red dirt. Initially a bit spirited and youthful, a few drops of water brought out a creamy buttery citrus.
Finish : Medium length with a mild dryness and citrus sugars.
Score : 6
Mental Image : Lemonade and Grass Stains
Notes : A tasty dram whose palate was much better than the nose, which was unusual as its typically a great nose that lets me down on the palate. This had a good mouthfeel, which actually became even better with a few drops of water as its lovely chalky dryness became almost buttery. Bursting with citrus, there was an odd, but interesting, grassy quality that developed with a bit of time and which reminded me heavily of red dirt and grass stains on soccer socks.
I tasted this totally blind the first I poured it (though I knew the person who offered it loved Clynelish). With that helpful hint I guessed that this was a 10 year first fill ex-bourbon Clynelish. That was without a doubt a fluke and the best guess I have probably ever made. I would have guessed the abv to be a bit higher as some spirit definitely shows through— but I forgot, so I will just assume I would have been wrong.
Overall, this was deliciously tasty and reminded me a lot of a great Arran with its mix of fruit and earth notes. The dram really benefited from a few drops of water which left me thinking it would make for a killer strong highball.
