Remember the 2015 edition of the SR? they included a NAS Clynelish Select Reserve, which was lovely but cost an arm and a leg (550 quid back then!!). This year’s the Clynelish is back with a 12-year-old more affordable (not cheap, but what whisky is cheap these days, eh? ).
If you’re expecting a classic ex-bourbon Clynelish you’re up for a surprise as this one’s finished in oloroso and PX casks for more than two years, adding a sweet sherry edge to it. let’s try some…
Clynelish 12 yo Special Release 2022 , 58.5%
Nose: mmm. Sweet Xmas cakes, with lots of sweet muscovado sugar, and sweet danishes topped with carmelized baked red apples, golden syrup, and vanilla custard. More sweet sultanas and dates with stewed orchard fruit (apple, pear, apricots), sweet toffee, and a hint of chalk.
Palate: The palate is thick and oily, with a peppery zing and alcohol heat on the first sensation, then getting sweeter and fruitier with more stewed apples, dried fruit (mainly sultanas), and some spices, in addition to rum-infused dark chocolate Pralines, a drizzle of wild honey too.
Finish: Chocolate, spice, and apple pies, with zingy pepper and lingering sweet sultanas.
Conclusion: A very different Clynelish than I expected, sweet, and lovely but lacking the “waxy” notes we’ve grown accustomed to in whiskies from this distillery. Easy drinking and likable, but not ultra-complex. still enjoyable. Given blind, i would not have guessed this to be a Clynelish for sure.