Clynelish 8 Years Old 2008 Cask #800208 (Riegger’s Selection)

The bottler Riegger's Selection bottled this Clynelish, an 8 year old, distilled in 2008, from cask 800208, bottled at 60.8%, one of 14 bottles. Clynelish is a Diageo distillery at Brora, prized by blenders for its oily, waxy malt. Clynelish sits on the North Sea coast at Brora, in the far north east of the Highlands.

Made in copper stills for a coastal, waxy make, building the cult Clynelish waxiness. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, vanilla and honey behind the wax. At an extractive age eugenol lends a clove note and lactones a coconut, the wax and citrus fresh and lively. The oily, waxy texture is the signature that blenders prize above all. Active wood frames the citrus without smothering the waxy texture. The unpeated make leans on texture and citrus, the cask adding depth. The clean, oily spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and honey over the wax.

At 60.8%, undiluted, it is deep and waxy. Candle wax, lemon and a coastal salt, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The mouthfeel is oily, the citrus carried on a waxy body. A long, waxy finish carries an orange sweetness. This is a coastal Highland single malt of rare texture.