Whisky: Clynelish 20 Year (1995), Signatory Vintage Cask 8685

Country/Region: Scotland/Highland

ABV: 50.3%

Cask: Refill Sherry Butt

Age: 20 Years (Distilled 26 Sept. 1995, Bottled 25 Jan. 2016)

Nose: Stewed fruits with cinnamon, chicory, and cloves, cured vanilla bean, subtle ginger and crème anglaise, candle wax.

Palate: Full-bodied, waxy, stewed fruits briefly, coffee, chicory, spice, leather, oak, cocoa, hints of cream and berries at the end.

Finish: Medium-length, drying, chocolate, berries, and plenty of wood.

Score: 7+

Mental Image: Edible Birthday Candle

Narrative & Notes: Stewing fruits by candlelight, the aroma was layered with stewed stone fruits, apple cider, and mulled wine spiced with chicory, cloves, ginger, peppercorn, and cinnamon. A subtle crème anglaise hinted at a sweeter dessert with cured vanilla bean pods as the candle wax melted and the wick burnt low. Full-bodied and waxy— somewhere between paraffin candies and accidentally biting a birthday candle. Stewed fruits waved hello while chicory and coffee took over with a healthy splash of a sweet liquor spiced with cinnamon, peppercorns, and mace. Toward the end, leather, oak, and cocoa-dusted chocolate truffles with a creamy raspberry filling arrived. The finish was medium-length and drying with chocolate soufflé, unsweetened berry jam, and oak.

This was one for the wax addicts, and I could never decide whether the mouthfeel reminded me of candies made with paraffin or accidentally biting down on a half-melted birthday candle. I assure you the younger me was only trying to lick the candle clean, but these things happen. I have reviewed strikingly few Clynelish over the years, considering my love of Arran, Glenburgie, and a handful of other distilleries with similar fruity profiles and my love of heavier malts with a waxy, oily, or at least chewy, mouthfeel. I always heard Clynelish is the house of wax— except for a few years after the last deep cleaning and equipment updates when it took a few years for those compounds to build back up again.

Overall, a whisky that fulfills all the promises of the Clynelish church of wax; far be it from me to question the faithful again. While the flavor profile on this was a touch simple in its embrace of sherry-spice, the sweetness of the malt remained nicely subdued, and the mouthfeel was superb.

Image Credit: The Whisky Exchange

Weekly Theme: Clynelish

Imagine there was a distillery called Clynelish, and then a new distillery was built next door and then also called Clynelish. That was precisely what happened in 1967 with Clynelish B opened next to Clynelish A, sometimes referred to as Old Clynelish and New Clynelish. The confusing situation did not last for long as Old Clynelish was mothballed in 1968 and then reopened to at least a limited extent in 1969 under the name Brora, which locals had long used to refer to the old distillery. So Clynelish, or the distillery we know as Clynelish today, was the new kid on the block who took over the name of the old distillery.

The distillery ranks right in the top 25 largest distilleries in Scotland by theoretical capacity. It might very well be getting close to producing 4.8 million liters annually, as the distillery currently operates seven days a week. Single malts from Clynelish remain popular and well-regarded for their crisp citrus and waxy elements; the distillery is also a key ingredient for Diageo’s blending team and forms a central part of the Johnnie Walker range. Not only is the distillery’s malt in high demand, but it also has an impressive and modern visitor’s center for those faithful who come on a pilgrimage.