Whisky: Clynelish 20 Year (2000), North Star Spirits “Lynch Isle”

Country/Region: Scotland/Highland

ABV: 53.3%

Cask: Sherry Butt, Portuguese Brandy Butt

Age: 20 Years (Distilled Aug. 2000, Bottled Oct. 2020)

Nose: Apple, quince, fruit jelly, wood polish, hazelnut, finished leather, cinnamon, birch, sour cherry and apricot pits; musty, dusty, and a bit moldy attic crawl space.

Palate: Medium-bodied, waxy, cured ham, red dirt, herbs, leather-sulfur, olive pits, peppercorn, musty oak and wood.

Finish: Long with lingering dates, spice, leathery funk, and hints of meat.

Score: 3-4

Mental Image: Treasures from the Attic Crawl Space

Narrative & Notes: The aroma was dirty— dusty, musty, slightly moldy— like inching through a hot attic crawl space and finding an old leather bag with the finish cracking off. Apples and quince offered a fruitier side to the proceedings with notions of jelly and hints of burnt toast. Not all the fruits were sweet as sour cherries, slightly underripe apricots, and their woody pits carried the dram toward its woodier and funkier inclinations with cinnamon and birch beer. Sulfur was present but generally well-integrated with wood polish and hazelnut. Medium-bodied, waxy, and filthy, the flavors swerved sharply between cured Spanish ham, red dirt, herbs, and leather-sulfur. Jamón ibérico and dates arrived with olive pits, sour cherries, tarragon, oregano, and red earth not far behind. Tingling peppercorns heralded oiled leather, desiccated meat, sulfur, and a warm blast of a wooden attic crawl space— my wife described it as mushroom water with slightly medicinal spice. The finish was long with dates, spice, leathery funk, and hints of meat.

Filthy. I cannot imagine a whisky that simultaneously reminds me of dusty, musty, slightly moldy attic crawl spaces and spoiled Spanish ham. Rotting meat and wood with hints of leather and fruit? The more I drank, the more this whisky reminded me of the three malts I reviewed from Spain’s Liber Distillery. Those were all in the same sulfurous-dirty sherry profile— and, for better or worse, presented some similar unique characteristics. I doubt I would have guessed this was Clynelish if I had sampled it blind, as the double cask maturation and the robust funk dominated the experience.

Overall, I actually really enjoyed the finish. I did not care for the nose, and the palate was challenging, but I enjoyed the flavors that lingered in the mouth after each sip. I would not seek out a pour of this to savor the finish, but, as with many whiskies, if someone offers and is willing to drink it with me, I will undoubtedly toast to them. At the very least, this was not a boring whisky.

Image Credit: Whisky Auctioneer

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.