Clynelish 2008 Distillery Only

from a purchased sample

Nose: Delicately sweet and malty with trace wax, lemon zest, salt, and coastal stones. Perfumy vanilla with flecks of sharp ginger and pepper. We're on pretty solid ground so far with a Clynelish. More resinous with time. Rather winey, too, somewhere between a buttery Chardonnay, a Zinfandel, and an 'off' Sauternes from a third-growth in a decent vintage. How's that for precise? The damp stone quality becomes more prominent with air as well. (with water) Flattens the general profile, but brings the sweet lemon, wax, ginger, and funky maltiness into greater relief.

Palate: Obviously sweet and oily, kept in check with wax, salt, lemon, canned pineapple, ginger, and white pepper. Wax is rather more resinous here even. Vanilla wax. Green pod cardamom and honey sap residue at the tail end. (with water) More ashy and almost vegetal and sylvan. Bitter oak has its moments here through the wax. A thin film of ageing flax oil. Still has touches of salt, and the stones have gotten a little bitter.

Finish: Wax, minerality, coastal spray, salt, ginger, and vanilla. It has a few rough edges, but also rather fun, too. The ash was a pleasant surprise. The palate just didn't fully come together (it's not disjointed) in a way that kept it from being great. Of course, who doesn't like Clynelish?

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