Treatment of older whiskies

@Mallard, I don't think so. It's just a factor of how long it has been in barrel. I'd say that, whenever you decide to open the bottle, keep nosing and sipping it to see how it develops. Different expressions react differently to oxygen over time. Some do well with oxygen, others take a turn for the worse, and others yet don't change significantly once the bottle is open. I've found that some of the moderately peaty whiskies lose some of the peat when the bottle has been opened for a while, but peat bombs tend to remain peaty. I've had heavily sherried whiskies change with oxygen over time, too, depending on the age and sherry style.

Ultimately, if you're wondering about doing something differently when first sipping it, no. Just try it and enjoy it. If it's about storage, it's really not any different from any other whisky (I don't think, from my limited experience.) Having said all that, early 70s Clynelishes are generally really awesome drams!

In terms of storage, keep it in a cool dark place. Once opened, use oxygen free preserver to keep it fresh.

In terms of drinking, older whiskies tend to be more "fragile", so aside from not dropping the glass, if you're adding water do it gradually, little by little so you don't "drown" it.

Also, I have found, through careful research, that Scotch tastes better when shared among friends...

I would not under any circumstances add water to a Whisky of this age, unless it was of a high strength, which it probably is not: Older Whiskies reject water almost universally, some to the point of coming apart.

highlandpark.co.uk/video/…

Jerry Tosh at Highland Park has some wise words to say about 'nosing and tasting'. His methods apply doubly-so to older Whiskies. If you want to do anything at all to what should be a memorable dram, pour a generous measure in a suitable glass (Glencairn or similar), and let it sit for an hour before you approach it; this will be more effective with a freshly opened older bottles.

Slainte!

@A'bunadhman

Very interesting video. Thanks for suggesting it. I learned 2 useful things:

1. I need to sniff 3 times (and NO swirling!)

2. According to this guy, Highland Park puts NO caramel into its products... I wasn't aware of that.

Thanks. I had a glass last night before I read any of the advice above. It had a really strong taste of alcohol and not many other flavours. It's meant to be 43% but tasted stronger. Ill see how I go as I progress. I'm not expecting much from it. Although it sounds very grand it was only $70. It will either be the bargain of the century or sold cheap for good reason.

A 32yo single malt for $70 is deal no matter where you are or what it is. My guess is that it will need some time to "wake up" from it's 7 year sleep in the bottle.

So let me start by saying that I am not an expert in old scotch (I tend to prefer young powerful brutes). However, I have gone through two 32yo scotches, three 30yo's, and five bottles in their 20's. My experience is that older whiskey tends to be delicate. For me these old bottles tend to be more disappointing at first. However, they tend to get much better after 6 - 8 months of being open. That said, there are always exceptions. The Laphroaig 30-year-old I had started out as good as it ever was going to be . . . and went down hill. A Tomatain 25yo started out fruity, simple, and youthful. And after being open a year and a half hasn't changed much. A Glenfarclas 1974 started out very disappointing . . . so much so that I gave the bottle (3/4 full) to a friend after 4 months. I recently visited him (2 years since I opened it) and we tried some (the bottle is now 1/3 full) . . . and it is WAY better - I would not have recognized it.

But let's get back to your bottle of Clynelish. I have had a few bottles of old Brora (old Clynelish) and they have all gotten better with being open. My most disappointing bottle was a Brora 25-year-old. I opened it 4 years ago. After two years I transfered the remains to three 50mL sample bottles. I recently drank one of the tree samples . . . and it is much better. But, I have also had to learn how to drink it. This particular Brora really needs water to bring out its potential. However, other old bottles can die with only a drop of water.

My two-cent-takeaway: old whiskeys take time to get to know. Don't drink them quickly. Have a small dram and then put the bottle at the back of your cupboard for a few months if you don't like it. Check in on it from time to time just to see how it's doing. Learn to enjoy the bottle on its own terms.

. . . and for $70 I would go right back and buy a second bottle (especially considering the importance of your birth date). I also believe in the power of bottle aging. I bet 20 years in a bottle would radically change the whisky.

All just my opinion

@Nock: +1, excellent advise! @Mallard: At the risk of 'sounding like a cracked record', it may be helpful to mellow this old Whisky in a squat decanter with a good sized air-space. Bubble the Whisky into the decanter, with any simple funnel and none too gently either; bubble it in as fast as you can, replace the stopper and consign it to the back of your cabinet and have a look at it in a month or so. You will be tempted to taste the Whisky as the weeks roll by; make them small tastes!

When the Whisky begins to 'mellow-out', you will know. When you think it can't get any better (6 mths. or so), transfer the Whisky into 2x200ml. bottles and the remainder (if any) into a 100ml. bottle, thus capturing the Whisky at its' peak of perfection.

This is not as complicated as it sounds and the rewards are many! You will end up with a few open bottles, samples and even miniatures; this is all part of the Whisky experience.

Cheers from Queensland.

wow, $70 a bottle? ill take two!

@A'bunadhman thanks for the kind words. I will say I am finding that most malts with a sherry influence (even a mild vatting) often benefit from oxygen. I really like peaty stuff and they usually don't do so well with oxygen (for my taste). When peat and sherry combine . . . it gets tricky. Laphroaig 30yo (aged in sherry casks) didn't improve. An Old Malt Cask Brora 21yo (strong peat, and aged in sherry casks) really took off. However, it did lose some peat zing - but the trade off was worth it in my opinion.

i agree: all part of the whisky experience!

Thanks to everyone for the great advice and support. I had another nip last night and it smelled terrible. Taste was all alcohol. However, i am going to experiment with this and see what happens. Questions for all of the clynelish fans. I like Lagavulin, Talisker and HP. Am I expecting too much of a Clynelsih? What does the regular stuff taste like? What should I expect?

@Mallard in what order would rate (be specific) your whisky tasting preference. (ex. Lagavulin 16yo, then Ardbeg Corry, then Highland Park 18yo, etc.)

@Nock I'm relatively new to whisky. My favourite day to day would be HP12 and Talisker. Lagavulin is next in line followed by Ardbeg, which is an occasional drink. I started off on things like JW Green and Glenlivet but don't drink them as much now as I prefer the stronger flavours.

@Mallard that is helpful. So you like strong flavors (welcome to the club). I asked because often people drinking strongly flavored whisky say they just taste alcohol. Because you say you like Talisker 10yo, Lagavulin 16yo, and Ardbeg 10yo, I believe you when you say it smells all alcohol. It probably is very low quality Clynelish. Some people refer to it as "hot" whisky or spirit from a "hot" still. It could also have been a bad cask.

You have lots of options. I would say just watch this: www.youtube.com/watch

I had a bad bottle of Highland Park 12yo recently. It was totally off. I ended up vatting it with some blended scotch and some peaty stuff.

If I were you with an old Clynelish that I didn't like here is what I would do. 1.) Follow @A'bundhman's advice and pour off 100 or 200mL into a small bottle to save for reference. 2.) Let the bottle sit at around half full for 6-8 months and check in on it again.
3.) If after a year it doesn't improve I would try sample vatting of this old Clynelish and a young peat monster (20mL of Clynelish to 10mL of Ardbeg 10yo etc) 4.) If after a year or two it doesn't improve I would follow Ralfy's advice (which I would only use in the worse of cases.

The main thing I suggest is time: time for the bottle and time for you. Everything changes. The hope is that you or the bottle will grow in a direction toward enjoyment and appreciation.

Good luck

@Mallard I do like the Clynelish. Standard 14 OB, honey and beeswax, some spice. Higher proof bottlings, and older bottlings can be a little bit more drying/bitter due to the wood influence. A drop or two of water can help. 32 years in the barrel, things are going to get a bit "grippy." The tannins are going to be like those in some red wines - they will dry your mouth out.

@Nock 's suggestion of letting time work its magic is worth taking. I wish I had done that with a couple older bottles. Alas, greed got the better of me. Also, as he says, decant a couple of small samples to revisit later down the line.

I have a Royal Brackla 33YO (distilled 1976 just 30 days after I was born) and I have to say I find it very difficult to discern all the individual flavours within it - but what I will say is the mouthfeel is thick, viscous and divine, and I wouldn't ever consider adding water, (it is just 43% though).

I do feel a lot of whiskies benefit from breathing in much the same way red wine does though - ie just pour it into the glass and wait 15-20 mins. One of the best examples I've had recently of 'breathed' whiskies was Ardbeg Corryvreckan. It lasted me a year from opening and at first I found it flat and a poor imitation of the Nam Beist it was replacing in Ardbeg's range. After a year though when I was finishing it off it had developed some creamy flavours that were much closer to my beloved Nam Beist, (this was when I wrote my review of it). So next time I get a bottle I'll open it, have one dram from it and then wait a year. :)

Ok, I've decanted some, so ill keep you all updated as to how it progresses. The nose from the decanter already smells more like whisky and less like antifreeze. Thanks again for everyone's help.

Ok, so nearly two months into the decanting process and I've just had my first try. The nose has improved from an antifreeze and alcohol burn to a creamy vanilla. I'm used to a stronger, maritime nose from Island malts but this is pleasant nonetheless. Taste is improved too but there is still an alcohol burn. Overall it's now worth what I paid for it and perhaps a bit more. I worry that I mainly drink big flavours now so that I perhaps don't appreciate the subtleties of this. Let's see what another month or two does for it. It's been an interesting process for me and thanks for the advice everyone

How does one get paragraph breaks in replies? I press enter but it end up looking like I'm jabbering.