Clynelish 37 Year Old / The Whisky Exchange 10th Anniversary / 46% / 70cl
Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky
A truly old-fashioned Clynelish in the classic Highland style, this 37yo is oaky and spicy with ample Clynelish beeswax and a warming, dry finish. Bottled for TWE’s 10th Anniversary.
Tasting Notes by Tim F
Nose: Classic old Clynelish, with wax (beeswax and candlewax) and honey. A slight whiff of brine and the faintest trace of smoke (really took time for me to find it); also citrus (orange marmalade, lemon curd) and other fruits (maybe some dried banana), marshmallow; spice (clove), dried ginger, faint pepperiness. These latter combine with hazelnuts and musty old books (and I mean that in a good way), underlining the oak influence.
Palate: The citrus flits through on a bed of creamy malt, then a big surge of honey and burgeoning spice as the oak moves in: powerful, ‘old-fashioned’ (as I think of it) dry oak, lifting the spices. Strong hints of ginger ale, becomes quite peppery, the old books are still there, but not much in the way of smoke. Delicate fruit, polished malt and powerful oak and spices – classic (for me) aged Highland whisky.
Finish: Medium-full length, warm, salty. Faint smoke, residual waxiness, lingering oakspice and brine. Becomes drying, as is natural for drams of this immense age.
Comment: a thrilling treat for fans of a nearly-extinct Highland style. Evokes one of those longhaired ginger cows chewing on a thistle, nodding along to the wail of a distressed bagpipe played by a man with mutton-chop sideburns. This is so old-fashioned that you can almost taste its kilt.
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The Clynelish name started life in 1819 when a distillery was founded in the vilalge of Brora by the Marquis of Stafford, later known as the Duke of Sutherland. This notorious character is more famous in Scotland for his part in the Highland Clearances of the same year, when he evicted around 15,000 crofters from his land in order to farm sheep. It is speculated that he started the distillery to provide a market for his barley and to put the local moonshiners out of business.
After enjoying immense popularity almost from its inception (for long periods in its early history the malt produced at Clynelish was sold only to private customers and not to blenders at all), the distillery, in common with most of the industry, suffered in the period between the beginning of Prohibition in America and the end of WWII. Production ceased in the years 1931-38, and again from 1941-45.
During the subsequent recovery after the war demand from blenders for Clynelish malt was extremely high, so in 1967-68 owners Distillers Company Ltd (DCL, which was eventually to become part of Diageo) built a new distillery adjacent to the existing one to increase capacity. This distillery was also called Clynelish, as the company wished to trade on the existing good name of the old distillery. Unfortunately, there seems to be some confusion and lack of agreement as to the exact sequence of the events which followed in the history of the two distilleries, with little or no agreement on the dates.
It would appear that the original distillery ran in tandem with the new distillery under the names of Clynelish A and Clynelish B (sources disagree over which was the new distillery and which the original Clynelish) during 1968/9. Predictably, this arrangement was not to the liking of the Customs & Excise folk and the SWA due to the dissimilarity between the types of whisky being produced at the two distilleries. The original distillery was closed down in 1969 and then reopened at some point in the 1970s under the new name of Brora. The date of the re-opening is unclear, although everyone seems to agree that it was definitely producing by 1975. It then operated intermittently, producing heavily peated (around 40ppm) whisky for blending purposes, before eventually becoming a victim of the DCL cull of distilleries in 1983.
The new Clynelish distillery was built as an exact replica of DCL’s modern Caol Ila distillery on Islay and has continued to produce a muscular, slightly peaty malt that is much valued by blenders – it is one of the base spirits for the excellent Johnnie Walker Gold Label. In recent years Caol Ila’s profile has increased thanks to some excellent independent bottlings and its incorporation into Diageo’s ‘Classic Malts’ series.
From the website:
When you think of the great homes of malt whisky, you probably think first of Speyside and Islay. But other regions play a full part in whisky’s story, and Scotland’s far north-east, from where Clynelish comes, is one. Distilleries here on the stormy sea coast of Sutherland were forever few and far between, yet malt whisky enthusiasts have always championed Clynelish™ over many more famous names.
When the original distillery was built in 1819 by the future Duke of Sutherland, the quality of Clynelish™ whisky was so prized that only private customers were supplied.
Over the years, Clynelish™ has continued to be held in high regard by experts. The great Victorian, Professor George Saintsbury, selected it as a favourite and today’s malt whisky gurus consistently praise its unique combination of North Highland and maritime qualities.
You can almost taste the sea air in Clynelish, with its crisp, medium-bodied, mustard-fresh style. Although there isn’t an Islay’s pungent smokiness here, there is a trace or two of it. Don’t think that this is a heavy malt, though. Its clean taste makes it a fine aperitif – and you can enjoy it just as much later in the evening, such is its versatility.
“The most coastal-tasting mainland whiskies are those from Clynelish, between Inverness and Wick. They typically have seaweedy, salty and mustard-like aromas and flavours. Mustard-and-cress, perhaps? The 14-year-old is less peaty than some older editions.” Michael Jackson, whisky writer and expert.
