Clynelish 18 Year Old 1997 Lads of Lobland

BYOB-C (say ‘biopsy’) is the acronym for Bring Your Own Bottle Club, a Belgian club of which the principle of their tastings is in their name. They have just released their very own bottling and aimed high from the start: a Clynelish 1997. I am already wetting my lips. Only 42 bottles, for the rest of the cask was bottled by the Dutch casQueteers. I got bottle 42 of 42 in my collection, thanks to the grace of the president of BYOB-C, who even threw in a sample for me to write these tasting notes (thanks, Dominic).

Wonderfully juicy nose on vanilla, straw in the sun, juice dripping peach and a huge dose of oak. Underneath I get some butterscotch and butternut with a whiff of cinnamon and a single kernel of black pepper. A touch of woodsmoke and a hint of cognac and espresso. This is surprising!

It is mouth coating, syrupy and a touch piquant. The ABV is responsible, no doubt, but I do not get the urge to add water, mind you. The fruitiness is now mostly peach and melon, but the coffee remained. The cinnamon evolves towards sweet, dark chocolate shavings like the one they often present on top of a cappuccino. It still has that spicy edge from the oak. Cayenne? Sniffing tobacco? Nice development.

The finish is wonderfully long and warm. It lingers forever, allowing you to savour it for a long time after sipping it.

This is a somewhat atypical Clynelish, but who cares when it is that good? The finish especially is exceptional!

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