Clynelish 15 Year Old 1997 The Whisky Mercenary

The Whisky Mercenary – aka Jürgen Vromans – bottled a 15 year old Clynelish from 1997. I know from experience that Clynelish 1997 is the good stuff. Remember the wonderful Clynelish 1997 from The Whiskyman or the amazing Clynelish 1997 for the Bonding Dram. This can only mean we are in for a treat. Let us give it a go!

The nose, which is excepitonally clean, shows a lot of honey and grapefruit, making it bittersweet. Very waxy too. Paraffin. Pineapple cubes. The whole is quite mineraly with rocks in the surf and light hints of seaweeds and a pinch of salt. Verrrry good!

On the palte, it continues deliciously with a creamy sweetness. Lots of citrus and some apples. Become quite maritime quickly. Light peat, sea salt. Midpalate I get some tannins and grains, making it younger than its actual 15 years. Towards the end it turns slightly bitter, not from the oak but from the grapefruit. Tonic & soda! Very peppery. Ginger and a whiff of nutmeg.

The finish is medium long to long on grapefruit and dies a bittersweet death.

A lovely Clynelish, despite the fact that it does not reach the level of the previously mentioned. This is enjoyment with capital E. Thanks, Jürgen, for the sample. The Whisky Mercenary can be found on Facebook!

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