Clynelish 23 Years Old 1996 No. 143 (Maltbarn)

From the bottler Maltbarn, a 23 year old Clynelish, distilled in 1996, bottled at 47.9%, one of 55 bottles. Clynelish is the coastal Highland malt whose waxiness has made it a cult favourite. Clynelish sits on the North Sea coast at Brora, in the far north east of the Highlands.

The spirit was run through copper stills on Clynemilton Burn water, for a maritime spirit with a beeswax richness. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, vanilla beneath the oily, coastal spirit. Through the evaporative decades the oils concentrate, lactones and esters folding into mango, beeswax and a coastal salt. The unpeated make leans on texture and citrus, the cask adding depth. A coastal maturation lends a faint brine to the oily, waxy malt. It is the heart malt of Johnnie Walker Gold Label, and a sought after single malt in its own right. Its waxy character, a candle wax and beeswax texture, is prized above almost any other by blenders.

At its natural 47.9% it is concentrated. A thick wax over orchard fruit and citrus, with a soft vanilla from the oak. It is waxy and citrussy, the oily spirit shining through. It finishes oily, waxy and bright. This is the cult waxy malt of Brora.