I am going through an independent bottling phase, and the latest dram to cross my path is this delicious 11 year expression of Clynelish (the official bottling is 14 years). While I found the Edradour fractionally better than the official offering, this is the first independent bottle I have thought was definitively superior to the official one. Aged 11 years in a bourbon barrel, bottled at 46% without filtering or coloring, this is delectable stuff:
Nose: Closed at first, opens with water. Vanilla, a light fruit basket: apples, maybe cherries and strawberries. After the fruit comes crusts of unscented candle wax. Baking spices. Floral notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, a little chewy.
Palate: More fruit (especially a waxy apple) on the palate is augmented by cane sugar, vanilla, and toasted oak notes from the bourbon barrel. The floral notes carry through as well. Moderately sweet.
Finish: Oak dominates on the finish, although there are faint dried fruit notes in there.
Verdict: I quite like Clynelish under normal circumstances, and I like it here too. This is a nice alternate angle into the Clynelish palette of flavors, a little younger than normal, still very waxy, but full of fruit, spices, floral notes. Sweet, but never cloying. Worth your time.
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