Clynelish 28 Year Old 1982 Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask

This is a single cask Clynelish 1982 from the stocks of Douglas Laing. Clynelish aficionados claim that 1982 is one of the best years for the distillery. It was bottled in the Old Malt Cask series, meaning it has a strength of 50%. It matured for 28 long years. I am pretty curious.

Beeswax, honey, grapefruit – the works. This is textbook Clynelish on the nose. Wonderfully waxy, a bit of grass, a bit of citrus, some kumquats and a touch of caramel. The honey becomes louder. Some paraffin appears. Banana peel. Some green herbs and earthy notes. Wonderful.

Quite oily on the palate. Grape pith, grapefruit, kumquat again. Hint of banana. Sprinkled with some white pepper and a big helping of ginger. Wonderful citrusy notes (the grapefruit is joined by some other agrums) and slowly but surely some nice oak. Walnuts? Mildly bitter, but certainly not oaky.

The long finish dives into the green herbs again. Very herbal indeed. And it remains waxy until the death.

A top class Clynelish, it must be said

Find where to buy Clynelish whisky