Review #11: Clynelish 14 Year

Distillery: Clynelish

ABV: 46%

Age: 14

Region: Coastal Highland (Brora)

Price: $65

Color: Color: 1.1 Burnished

Nose (according to the wife): Very floral and fragrant, reminds her of a bouquet of flowers. A bit of sweetness in sherry and honey. Dries out the nose a bit.

Palate: Despite being a little sweet on the nose, this one is a more bitter than anything else. It really feels like drinking a floral tea (I was reminded of rose tea). Like the lightness of the color might suggest, this one has a pretty light body. Surpisingly, the mouthfeel is a bit oily/creamy even though it is pretty light. There is also a pleasant trace of smoke and spice from fresh wood, but only just.

Finish: I found the finish to be, unfortunately, rather short and dry. I wasn’t particularly too impressed by it.

Conclusion: Overall, I thought this was a pretty pleasant whisky. It’s light body makes for easy drinking and the floral fragrance/palate makes it refreshing. I would say that this is far more suited for a hot summer day over ice rather than when it is snowing and ~20°F. Definitely have to try this one again later in the year.

Final Score: 79

Scotch whisky review #11, Highland review #4, Whisky Network Review #12

Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection.
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.

Originally reviewed Apr. 14, 2018.