Clynelish 17 Year Old 1996 The Whiskyman

In the new series from The Whiskyman, Age Matters, the label discloses that this is a 17 years old single malt. It is a Clynelish from 1996. To find this info, one has to look closely to the side of the label, a statement in which Dominiek wants to stress the importance of aging.

It begins on dried fruit, which makes me think this was a sherry cask. That info cannot be found on the label, so I might be mistaken. Coconut, sultanas, roasted almonds. Beeswax and soft leather. Less outspoken than earlier Clynelish that I have tasted from the same bottler. Soft nose, actually. Hay and lemon grass, some green potpourri. Honey and toffee make it pretty sweet. Grapefruit is there too.

It danses on the palate and offers some spices (pepper, ginger, nutmeg and mustard seeds) immediately, along with loads of citrus. Grapefruit, mandarin, lemon zest. A bit of resin. Crystal sugar with a hint of espresso. Yes, this was almost certainly a sherry cask.

The finish, which is medium long and dry, gives a nice hint of peat and oak.

A very worthy Clynelish for a fair price (85 EUR).

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