Clynelish 16 Years Old 2009 Cask #HL 21944 (Old Malt Cask)

The independent Hunter Laing selected this Clynelish, a 16 year old, distilled in 2009, from cask HL 21944, bottled at 50%, one of 362 bottles. Clynelish is a Diageo distillery at Brora, prized by blenders for its oily, waxy malt. A coastal maturation lends a faint brine to the waxy, oily spirit.

The spirit was worked through the tall stills for a citrussy, oily spirit, for a maritime spirit with a beeswax richness. A refill bourbon hogshead held it, keeping the waxy character to the fore. At oxidative maturity vanillin and lactones are fully expressed, the wax and citrus at their best. Years in oak round the spirit, the citrus deepening to orange and tropical fruit. Long ageing turns the fresh lemon towards candied orange, beeswax and tropical fruit. The lost Brora distillery beside it, closed in 1983, was revived by Diageo in 2021. Its waxy character, a candle wax and beeswax texture, is prized above almost any other by blenders.

At 50%, undiluted, it is deep and waxy. Candle wax, lemon and a coastal salt, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Orange, beeswax and a maritime salt fill the middle. The finish is long, waxy and citrussy. This is Clynelish, the wax of the Sutherland coast.