Clynelish 16 Years Old 1996 (The Whiskyman)

The bottler The Whiskyman bottled this Clynelish, a 16 year old, distilled in 1996, bottled at 52.3%, one of 239 bottles. Clynelish is a Highland single malt of waxy, coastal character from Brora in Sutherland. It is the heart malt of Johnnie Walker Gold Label, and a sought after single malt in its own right.

The spirit was drawn off three wash and three spirit stills, for the famous waxy texture at its heart. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding a light honeyed vanilla. Into oxidative maturity, slow air ingress builds fruity ethyl esters (orange and pineapple) over the deepening wax. The clean, oily spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and honey over the wax. 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. Clynelish sits on the North Sea coast at Brora, in the far north east of the Highlands.

At a hearty 52.3% it carries real weight. Waxy honey, lemon and a savoury edge, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Soft citrus and a honeyed wax sit behind the cask. Citrus, wax and a faint brine see out the finish. This is a coastal Highland single malt of rare texture.