Clynelish 22 Years Old 1991 Cask #13216 (van Wees)

A 22 year old Clynelish from the Dutch bottler van Wees, distilled in 1991, from cask 13216, bottled at 46%, one of 312 bottles. Clynelish makes the celebrated waxy, oily Highland malt on the far north east coast at Brora. Two old Brora warehouses still stand on the site, a link to its silent neighbour.

The spirit was run through copper stills on Clynemilton Burn water, for an oily, lemony make with a savoury edge. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, the oak quiet behind the wax. In the oxidative, evaporative years concentration brings tropical esters of mango and pineapple over a deep, beeswax richness. Refill oak lets the famous Clynelish wax lead, lemon and honey beneath. Most of its make goes to blending, with a fourteen year old the flagship single malt. Clynelish sits on the North Sea coast at Brora, in the far north east of the Highlands. Years in oak round the spirit, the citrus deepening to orange and tropical fruit.

At 46% it is smooth and waxy. An oily wax with citrus and brine, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A lemon, a brine and a thick wax lift it. A long, oily finish ends on lemon and beeswax. This is an oily, maritime Highland single malt.