Scotch Whisky Review #224: WhiskyDoris Art Noveau ‘Secret Highland’ Clynelish 19 Year (2000)

Bottler: WhiskyDoris

Distillery: Clynelish

Region: Islay

Age: 19 year. Distilled in 2000, Bottled in 2020.

Cask Type: Bourbon Hogshead

Cask Number: #1417

ABV: 52.4%

Color: 0.3, Pale Gold.

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Nose: (according to the wife) It’s got a quite interesting smell. There’s a funky, slightly fermented note. It’s almost salty and brine-y. There’s a bit of a note of kombucha and some cream as well.

Palate: It’s quite an unexpected flavor. It’s very mineral heavy with a bit of a strange, funky, salty note of marmite. There are some earthy notes as well in the form of wild mushrooms and wild rice. With some water, it becomes every so slightly waxy.

Finish: Short. It’s quite woody and a lot of funk going on.

Conclusion: When you see a Clynelish aged in bourbon, your mind is probably jumping to thinking of a nice and slightly fruity whisky with a lot of waxiness in it. Mine did for sure. This whisky is absolutely not that. It’s quite funky and earthy. The kombucha note in the nose is a bit of a rude awakening. The marmite in the palate is just odd. The wild mushrooms and rice are great and help balance things out, but man this was different. I think some people will enjoy this a lot, but this one is not quite for me.

Final Score: 72.

Scotch Whisky Review #224, Highland Review #45, Whisky Network Review #334

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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.