Clynelish 15 Year Old SMWS 26.82

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, founded in 1983, only bottles single casks at cask strength, to be sold exclusively to their members. Their labels are coded, referring to the distillery and the bottling. So this is SMWS 26.82, meaning bottling 82 of distillery 26, i.e. Clynelish. It was dubbed ‘Soft Light at Sunset’.

While the nose shows the typical waxiness and mineral side, primarily in the form of flints, this dram is mostly very sweet. The sherry cask has really gotten a grip on this Clynelish: almonds, figs, tobacco and oranges in chocolate. After a few minutes, the almonds turn into veritable marzipan. But what absolutely jumps out at you is the coffee.

The first sip is scorching hot. No surprise with such an ABV, of course. Again very sweet. The fruit from the nose is there, the figs prominently so. Oh, boy, suddenly a wonderful touch of peat rears its head. The coffee returns, with a little liqueur by its side. Towards the end, a bitter trace of the oak and even a salty tang surface.

The long finish, that brings a smile to my face, is a battle between sweet and bitter.

Wow, this is at least on par with the great Clynelish from The Whiskyman that I just tasted. Unfortunately, this one is only available to members (which I am not, so thanks for the sample, Sjoerd). From 65 to 70 EUR.

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