Clynelish 14 Years Old 1995 (Murray McDavid)

The bottler Murray McDavid selected this Clynelish, a 14 year old, distilled in 1995, bottled at 46%, one of 2100 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.

It was run through copper stills on Clynemilton Burn water, for the famous waxy texture at its heart. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, vanilla and honey behind the wax. Through integration spirit and wood marry, vanillin settling into vanilla as ethyl esters lend a riper citrus over the wax. Long ageing turns the fresh lemon towards candied orange, beeswax and tropical fruit. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and coconut over the wax. Its waxy character, a candle wax and beeswax texture, is prized above almost any other by blenders. The waxy, oily spirit takes cask flavour well while keeping its citrus and coast.

At 46% it is smooth and waxy. A thick wax over orchard fruit and citrus, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A lemon, a brine and a thick wax lift it. The close is long, wax over a citrus lift. This is a coastal Highland single malt of rare texture.