It’s already time for another Clynelish session, this time with five independent Clynelish bottlings, even though we reviewed three back in January. Then again, Clynelish is one of those distilleries we never seem to tire of – right up there with Ben Nevis and Springbank… and a few others.
Since my recent move, I’ve also taken the opportunity to reorganise my samples, even adding a four-drawer cabinet to give myself more room and increase storage capacity by 50%. Yet, as with bottles, I seem to acquire more samples than I can realistically drink. And because I still have a habit of wanting to write about every new whisky or spirit I try, while also tasting several at once for comparison, some drams inevitably end up waiting far too long for their turn.
Perhaps I should admit that not every bottle or sample needs a full review. That would certainly help keep the stock under control – and might even leave me with more time to simply enjoy whisky. In any case, today we’re turning to independent Clynelish from Cadenhead, Signatory, Silver Seal, Whisky Sponge and Masam, drawn from Silviano Samaroli stock. Let’s move the vintages up, shall we?
Clynelish 17-year-old Cadenhead’s (2013) Review
We start with a 1992 Clynelish from Cadenhead. This whisky matured for 17 years in a bourbon hogshead before Cadenhead bottled it in their Authentic Collection range. They filled 275 bottles at 56.7% ABV from that cask, without chill filtration nor added colour. This release is long gone.
Colour:
Pale straw.
Nose:
Neat: Intense beeswax and minerals dominate, with zesty lemon, limestone and polished furniture wax. Sweet fruits emerge: peaches, overripe pears coated in wax, green mango, kiwi, citrus peel and vanilla cake. Chalky minerality, light perfume and grassy notes add freshness.
With water: Water highlights leafy, fruity wax with dried orange peel, salt and waxy pear juice. Engine oil, wood ash and ginger appear.
Palate:
Neat: Powerful and oily, with sweet ripe peaches, citrus zest and lush minerality. Waxy, leathery with grapefruit peel, boiled sugar, toffee and a touch of smoke. Dense herbal notes and prickly oak balance the fruit.
With water: Waxy leathery with orange marmalade, pears, salty ginger and brine. Tobacco sweetness and saltiness balance the wood notes.
Finish:
Medium‑long and drying, with wax, citrus, spice and minerality.
Comments:
Nice, but not quite great. The oak feels a little too assertive and prickly at first, though a few drops of water help soften it and bring the balance back into focus.
Rating: 6/10
Clynelish 1995 Signatory Vintage (2016) Review
Next, we have a 1995 Clynelish from Signatory Vintage. Clynelish distilled it on the 26th of September 1995 and it matured for 20 years in refill sherry butt #8686 before Signatory Vintage bottled it on the 16th of March 2016. The butt yielded 626 bottles at cask strength, 53.2% ABV, with no chill filtration and no added colour. Like the Cadenhead, this whisky now appears to be sold out.
Colour:
Polished mahogany.
Nose:
Neat: Gentle sherry opens with brown sugar and old leather, quickly giving way to plums, baked apples dusted with cinnamon and a whisper of mint. Leafy citrus notes emerge – lemon peel, lime – alongside salt, ginger and peach sweetness, with raspberries in dark chocolate and tobacco leaves.
With water: Leafy edges recede as brighter citrus blooms, with savoury gunpowder and expanded body pushing forward.
Palate:
Neat: Dry and spicy arrival on red apples and tea, building to chilli chocolate, Seville oranges and leafy tobacco, with sharp oak framing subdued cherries and peppered strawberries. Syrupy sultanas, coffee, cocoa and the typical Clynelish wax coat the mid-palate, laced with white floral citrus and orange oil for a savoury, acidic chalkiness.
With water: Wax and leather meet orange marmalade and pears, balanced by salty ginger, brine and tobacco sweetness that tempers the tannins.
Finish:
Long and resolute, drying on green oak, dry chocolate and herbal bitterness that clings tenaciously.
Comments:
Very, very good Clynelish, with a balanced sherry cask influence, thanks to the use of a refill butt. The Clynelish trademark wax is clear and in front, with the sherry adding complexity and nice fruity and spicy layers. Very nice.
Rating: 7.5/10
Clynelish 1996 Silver Seal (2014) Review
The third Clynelish today comes from Silver Seal. The Italian bottler selected a 1996 Clynelish and bottled it in 2014, at 17 years of age, in their ‘Whisky is Art’ series. It matured in cask #2933, probably an ex-Bourbon cask, and Silver Seal got an outturn of 263 bottles filled at 51.9% ABV, without chill filtration nor added colour. It seems the Germans from UpWhisky still have at least a bottle, but they sell it at a hefty €375…
Colour:
Pale gold.
Nose:
Neat: A slightly peaty seediness and furniture polish open a very recognisable profile, quickly giving way to cream and honey alongside gourmet vanilla, whipped cream, barely crispy biscuits and beeswax. Candied lemon emerges with apricots, cinnamon, a hint of almonds, cardamom and cloves, adding gentle spice and orchard warmth.
With water: Water mellows the profile, highlighting fruity wax with dried orange peel, salt and waxy pear juice.
Palate:
Neat: Very balanced and soft on arrival, with a beautiful vanilla pod note and cereals – wheat, barley, millet – forming the core. The spices stay light and pleasant, leaning towards nutmeg and gray pepper rather than anything aggressive. The mouthfeel is waxy and mouth coating, and a very light hint of peat can be felt on the palate as well.
With water: Water mellows the profile, highlighting fruity wax with dried orange peel, salt and waxy pear juice.
Finish:
Quite long and distinctly fruity on yellow plums and mirabelle plums, with heather earth, cola and a slight earthy breadth. The wax borders on caramel pastry filling, leaving a rich, satisfying close.
Comments:
A stunning and pure Clynelish, very probably from an ex-Bourbon cask, with a fruity and waxy profile, clean, very slightly peaty. Superb stuff. I’d love a bottle of that, with the risk of drinking it quite quickly.
Rating: 8/10
Clynelish 2000 ‘Candle Kitty’ WhiskySponge (2020) Review
Next, we have a marriage of two Clynelish casks, bottled by WhiskySponge/Decadent Drinks in 2020. Both casks, a pair of refill hogsheads, contained some Clynelish distilled in 2000. Angus MacRaild and his colleagues reduced the vatting to 48.5% ABV, allowing an outturn of 762 bottles of 19-year-old Clynelish, without chill filtration nor added colour. This WhiskySponge Edition No. 8 is sold out, so you’ll have to try your luck at auction or the secondary market.
Colour:
Yellow gold.
Nose:
Neat: Pastry, vanilla, honey, yellow fruit marmalade, wax and cookie dough with a big bag of fresh green apples. Paraffin wax, chalked walls, marshmallows, pear, lemon, pineapple and grist. Some mineral notes as well. The nose really is intense, the aromas bursting out of the glass as soon as the whisky has been poured.
Palate:
Neat: Highly oily, weighted and mouth-coating, initially all on fruits – orange jam, lemon posset – with sweet malted milk and wood. Sweet pastry, vanilla and honey, fruitiness from apple tart to acidity with green apples. Lemon candy, dough, chalk and candle wax, leaven bread, porridge, and green pepper. Some raw wood, like a pallet. As with the nose, the palate shows a good intensity, despite the reduction to 48.5% ABV.
Finish:
Long with lemons and candied lemon peels, green apples, green tea and mineral notes.
Comments:
This vatting of two Clynelish casks gives a lot despite the reduction. It can be almost plankish at times, with some wood influence, but this stays mostly fruity and waxy, what you’d expect from a Clynelish. Very good.
Rating: 7.5/10
Clynelish 2004 Masam (2018) Review
Today’s fifth and final dram comes from the stock of Silvano Samaroli, picked by Silvano as ready to bottle just before his death in 2017. This collection is instantly recognisable by their black bottles based on some of the oldest known whisky bottles from the 18th century and were released by his widow Maryse Samaroli (hence the name MaSam). This 2004 Clynelish was bottled in 2018 after 14 years of maturation in cask 800,101 (they don’t mention the type of cask), at 54% ABV. You’ll have to rely on the secondary market, again, to get a bottle, with a few people trying to sell one for €500 or more.
Colour:
White wine
Nose:
Neat: Light crisp fruits burst forth with vanilla, brioche and waxy aromas, hints of green pepper lingering in the background alongside subtle peaty notes. Peach and yellow fruit need time to open, with a creamy buttery cookie base evoking lemon meringue pie and lemon zest.
With water: Water coaxes brighter cherry jam, softening sea salt and wood smoke while enhancing ginger and fruit
Palate:
Neat: Ripe fruits concentrate into honeyed sweetness; peppery blond tobacco tugs at slightly smoky vegetal just right. Lemons of all sorts, orange oil, dark chocolate, and wood. Rich and complete youthful spontaneity with tender balance.
With water: Smoke and pepper integrate smoother, emphasising winey sweetness, salt and cherry over tannins.
Finish:
Tender and gentle, pastry greediness of toasted cereals, buttery pastry and oily nuts with softly fading fruity sweetness.
Comments:
Another superb Clynelish, youthful but profound, with a lovely citrusy waxiness, showing some waxy patina despite its young age.