Clynelish 25 Years Old 1996 Cask #11382 (Signatory)

The Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage selected this Clynelish, a 25 year old, distilled in 1996, from cask 11382, bottled at 52.3%, one of 473 bottles. Clynelish, on the Sutherland coast, makes one of the most distinctive textures in Scotch, its famous wax. The lost Brora distillery beside it, closed in 1983, was revived by Diageo in 2021.

Made in copper stills for a coastal, waxy make, to build a waxy, coastal, citrussy spirit. An Oloroso hogshead lent raisin and a savoury, nutty edge to the wax. Oxidative, evaporative ageing turns the malt deep and waxy, ethereal esters and a faint sotolon (maple). The unpeated make leans on texture and citrus, the cask adding depth. The distillery was built in 1967 next to the original Clynelish of 1819, which was renamed Brora and later closed. Most of its make goes to blending, with a fourteen year old the flagship single malt.

Bottled at a cask strength 52.3%, it is rich. An oily wax with citrus and brine, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. It is waxy and citrussy, the oily spirit shining through. The finish is long, waxy and citrussy. This is the waxy heart of Johnnie Walker Gold.