Whisky: Clynelish 30 Year (1992), SMWS 26.211 "Those were the days/ Ambrosial nectar"

Country/Region: Scotland/Highland

ABV: 45.9%

Cask: 2nd Fill Bourbon Barrel

Age: 30 Years (Distilled 2 April 1992, Bottled 2022)

Nose: Waxy citrus and wood resin, garden herbs and mint, citrus rind, rosebud, anise, and a fresh, crisp vegetal quality, aromatic woods.

Palate: Medium-bodied, vibrant and viscous, waxy, garden herbs and wood oils, waxy citrus, dried fruits, floral spice, stone fruits, mint and moss, crisp vegetal with a kiss of salt and more waxy citrus.

Finish: Long and gentle with waxy citrus, herbs, and a kiss of salt.

Score: 8-9 (90)

Mental Image: Skeksis Drunk on Essence

Narrative & Notes: After an initial gust of waxy citrus and wood resin, the aroma retreated toward mellow garden herbs and mint. Gradual crescendo toward cured orange peel, rosebud, anise, menthol, and fresh cucumber; the nose shifted from dry, fragrant spices and woods to fresh, crisp garden vegetables and herbs. Medium-bodied, viscous, and waxy on the palate with a vibrant deluge of garden herbs, stone fruit preserves, spices, vegetables, and mellow citrus.  Cured lemons and wood resins spared with fragrant rose hip and wood oils. A kiss of floral spice emerged with orange rind and dried plums, two notes that grew in intensity over time with apricot jam and peach preserves. More fresh garden herbs, mint, mossy stones, and crisp cucumbers appeared toward the end as a waxy citrus and kiss of salt lingered for a long and gentle finish.

Magnificent. These very mature Clynelish from SMWS sell for a pretty penny, but nothing else is quite like this. I have had a few of them so far, and they are just so remarkably complex and well-structured that I could just as easily sit back and pick through the flavors all night if the glass would keep from emptying so fast. The whisky was delicious, and there was just no overcoming the urge to take one more sip and revel in the interplay between garden herbs, waxy citrus, and the occasional melon or tropical fruit note that dropped in.

Overall, sublime— improved each and every time I sat to taste it.

Image Credit: Whisky Auctioneer

About Clynelish

An essential malt. Official distillery releases are accessible and a gateway to the eccentricities of releases from independent bottlers. Releases have been generally available and common, though, at least in the case of independent bottlers, that may have already begun to change as the distillery holds onto more whisky to support its own products during the ongoing whisky boom.

Clynelish opened in 1819, but wait, that is the wrong Clynelish… Imagine there was a distillery called Clynelish, and then a new distillery was built next door, also called Clynelish. That was precisely what happened in 1967 when Clynelish B opened next to Clynelish A, sometimes called Old Clynelish and New Clynelish or Clynelish 1 and 2. The confusing situation did not last long, as Old Clynelish was mothballed in 1968 and reopened to a limited extent in 1969 under the name Brora. However, this was not entirely a new name, as locals had long used it to refer to the old distillery.

The distillery ranks among Scotland's top 25 largest 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. Even with the constant production, it maintains an 85-hour fermentation regime for the malt, which allows more of the fruitier, sometimes even tropical, flavors to emerge. Notably, Clynelish underwent extensive renovations and refurbishment in 2017, after which some of the waxy character, for which the distillery is well-known, disappeared. After about six months, it came back and within a year was in line with the pre-renovation spirit, so it will be interesting to compare new and old spirit, or malts from the intermediate period in late 2017-early 2018.

Style: Citrus, Honey, Wax, Grassy, occasionally Coastal