Clynelish 10 Year Old 1996 The Single Malts of Scotland

The Single Malts of Scotland is a label from Sukhinder Singh, owner of the famous The Whisky Exchange. In 2007 – admittedly, a while ago – he bottled this Clynelish 1996. You can hardly go wrong with that, trust me. When I found this sample in my cabinet I knew I was in for a feast. Here we go!

The nose is waxy on yellow fruit (mirabelles, banana, apricots) with some honey, but underneath I also get some notes of wood glue and shells on the beach. Almond paste and a hint of candied sugar. Nice.

The arrival is quite sturdy, immediately quite creamy and spicy. The fruit goes tropical and adds both banana and kiwi, even some litchi. Beeswax and honey, quinine and almonds, sweet versus bitter. It’s is quite the flavor bomb on the palate, much better than the nose announced.

The finish is long, bittersweet and peppery. Delicious.

The nose had me guessing for a moment. On the palate and in the finish, though, it’s again a true classic Clynelish. A bottle sold for 100 EUR way back when. At the time it seemed expensive. But if you can still find it today, be prepared to pay double that.

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