A coastal and peaty single malt, the flagship expression from Clynelish boasts a fabulous flavour profile filled with its distinctive waxy notes. Clynelish is the successor to Brora which closed in 1983, which it is built opposite. A well rounded Highlander, though this expression is a bit less peaty than the Brora bottlings of yore.
Zesty, mandarin, tangerine. Smoky.
Quite light, great clarity. Orange, soft acidity. Dry oak. Mixed fruits, vanilla, leather.
Quite long, bitter sweetness developing, spicy oak.
Reminds me of coriander; not an easy whisky that some will love and some will hate. It all evolves around that that one big taste on your pallet: soap... love it!
really interesting and unusual this one; marriage of highland and coast producing something fantastic, and a really surprising joy. Nose: Citrus peel and leather, candles and a briny peat. Palate: Clean and firm, really rounded feel of citrus fruits oak and leather, with that mandarin note really developing. Dry, and bitter-sweet, with a hint of dark chocolate and mixed spice. Subtle hint of vanilla. Finish: Long and balanced, gentle peat and salt spray with a real bitter-sweet spiciness. Citrus flavours throughout - mandarin readily apparent with soft leather and charred oak.
The short answer should be no. Clynelish was only built in 1967 whilst Brora (which was originally called Clynelish just to complicate matters) dates back to the 19th century but is best known for its heavily peated output in the late 1960s and early 1970s. That said, you will rightly find similar tasting notes between many Clynelish releases and bottlings of Brora, especially the less peated ones. These will be citrus notes as well as coastal brine and even smoke. So not a stupid question at all. - The Chaps at Master of Malt
I'll ask anyway. Much is made of the proximity of the Clynelish distillery to Brora, but does the similarity extend to the whisky itself?
I discovered Clynelish 14 year old just a couple of days ago and having tried it alongside a selection of my other favourites this one is top of the list. So pleased to have found it, in my opinion there is just nothing that comes close to it.
