Highland "Clynelish" 2000, Liquid Treasures

Colour: white wine. Nose: raw, grassy, chalky, with bags of green apples and wee whiffs of beeswax, that’s everything we like. With water: green tobacco, bitters, fresh pumpernickel, gingerbread, ale, malt, hops. Nothing to throw.

 

Mouth (neat): excellent, waxy, super-grassy, rather wonderfully bitter and austere. This one kicks you in your teeth, and people are asking for more! With water: s-u-p-e-r-b. Rich, ale-y, with some malt extract, molasses, bitter beers and more pumpernickel. High class, never was such a pale whisky this thick and heavy. Good trick! Finish: long, oily, waxy, bitter, leafy, bready… Lovely tobacco in the aftertaste. Comments: were I the distiller here, I would be proud that some dedicated IB would display my little distillery on such a lovely bottle, instead of a slightly depressing name such as ‘Secret xxx’. No?

SGP:462 - 89 points.

 

 

 

Nose: quite some lactic notes up front, joint by sunflower oil and some dusty notes. Zesty lemons and ginger. Lots of grasses and pine wood. A fairly sharp, almost mustardy note as well. Hoppy touches. Bitter herbs. Not an easy one, if this is Clynelish indeed, then it’s a bit off-centre to say the least.

 

Mouth: oats, sweet ginger, mustard again, with a rubbery touch and lots of herbal hints. Linseed oil, a bitter resinous touch. Grapefruit and cider apples, maybe some unripe greengages, but this is not a fruity spirit. Reminds me of some austere Banff or Glen Mhor.

 

Finish: medium, waxier, with lemon zest and leafy notes.

 

An interesting but difficult, slightly uncivilised whisky. Certainly not a classic Clynelish in my opinion, so much that I’m inclined to say it is probably another distillery. Fairly sharp and funky.