Clynelish 14 Year

Fruit forward. Light. Honey finish

Extraordinary! Juicy and sweet but with the perfect briny sea breeziness to the flavor. Bit of cookie vibe. Very very good

Many of us have had their share of this stuff in various Johnnie Walker blends, but this is a single malt that should not overlooked. Respectable age statement, reasonable price, not much else really to say. Let’s check it out. Nose: Light peat smoke, and brine. Smells like a morning on the beach. Honeydew, gala apple, pear, and apricot add a nice layer beneath the coastal notes. Pineapple and maybe even some peach add a bit more sweetness. Heavy butterscotch. Toffee, vanilla, and malt. Honey and caramel. Sugar cookie. Toasted almond. Some obscure freshly-baked pastry. Light cinnamon and oak. Fruity, juicy, and sweet. Nice start. Palate: The honeydew, pineapple, and peach are out in full force. Very sweet. Apple, pear, and apricot. Raspberry. Orange citrus. Honey, toffee, vanilla, butterscotch. Caramel and milk chocolate. White pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, and oak. Finish: Malt, toffee, butterscotch, and vanilla. Apple, pear, apricot, and golden raisin. Orange citrus. Milk chocolate. Black and white pepper, cinnamon, and oak. Moderate length. Diamond in the rough. With a single malt this good, it’s a shame that Clynelish doesn’t have a more robust portfolio. This reminds me of Oban on the nose, but resembles a more traditional Highland malt on the tongue. It’s unique, and more importantly, it’s excellent. My rating for this was a 4/5. That’s before factoring VFM. If I feel that a whisky hits the mark in terms of value, I generally boost by a quarter star. But for a $64 14-year at 46%, I’m bucking that trend giving this an extra half star. They took no shortcuts in ensuring this would be a quality malt. I highly recommend it. 4.5/5.