Scotch Whisky Review #201: Clynelish 14 Year (Old Bottling)

Distillery: Clynelish

Region: Highland

ABV: 46%

Age: 14 Year.

Color: 1.0, Deep Copper.

Nose: (according to the wife) It’s super waxy, it’s almost like inhaling it. A note of well conditioned leather, specifically said it smelled like a leather wallet, as well as a bit of shoe polish follow the wax. A very tart lemon note pops in here and there as well.

Palate: This is really refreshing. The lemon from the nose expresses itself as a very crisp, tart note. There’s a bit of honey and a bit of malt here and there that keep this from getting too sour. It reminds me immensely of my go-to drink this summer in a Scotch highball made of Arran 10 and lemon flavored sparkling water. Crisp, refreshing, and lemony. With two drops of water, this whisky gets noticeably warmer and settles at a nice pleasant warmth. The famed Clynelish waxiness comes out aplomb. The honey exerts itself more with less of the lemon coming through.

Finish: Short. Tinge of lemon, tinge of green apple.

Conclusion: This bit of Clynelish comes from a bottle with the old bottling labels on it. I really enjoy doing these little looks into the past to see how modern bottlings hold up to their older counterparts. Much like modern Clynelish 14, this older bottling is fairly refreshing and a seemingly great whisky for hot weather. The modern Clynelish, at least for me, was more full of more delicate floral notes while this older expression has some more aggressive notes of lemon and honey. Both are lovely in their own right and I’m not sure I’d exactly trade one for the other.

Final Score: 79.

Scotch Whisky Review #201, Highland Review #41, Whisky Network Review #282

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 (if feasible).
• 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.