Ah, Clynelish! How I love thee. Both the official 14-year bottling (surprisingly complex of both flavor and texture), and all the strange, exciting independent bottlings I've had. This bottle, an 8-year from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), is aged entirely in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, and bottled at a wonderfully stiff 60.9% ABV. Part of the "sweet, fruity, and mellow" flavor profile, it's nicknamed "Put the Pebble to the Petal!" which is curious, and suggestive. Official SMWS tasting notes include putty, clay, wax, chalk, stone, pineapple jelly, and gorse. Fascinating!! Let's see what I find:
Nose: Sweet clay. Wax. Sweet candies like Skittles or Starburst or chalky Smarties. A lot of sugary fruit here, tempered by the unusual textures; especially tropical fruit, like pineapple and lychee. A ton of honey as well. Interestingly, the addition of water doesn't change anything. Some bubble-gum scent as well. And fragrant clean laundry.
Mouthfeel: Medium-heavy, oily.
Palate: An absolute sugar bomb. Sweet lemon candy for days and days and days. Waxy, like Starburst, but explosive like Skittles or Lemonheads. Absolutely packed, filled with sweet flavor. More pineapple. Some floral aspects as well, especially violets and lavender. With water, it gets chalkier and - as the SMWS notes - somewhat more flowery, waxier and quite ashy/sooty. Geraniums, sure, but also honeysuckle and rosewater. Bubble-gum. Quite flavorful.
Finish: Surprisingly short finish: chalk, wax, sweet sweet candy. No wood influence to speak of.
Verdict: This is the archetypical Clynelish independent bottling experience: chalky, waxy, fruit candy, flowers. In that order. It's certainly worthwhile - what an interesting dram! - but you should be warned. This is not "normal" Scotch by any measurement. Supersweet, a sugar bomb, and full, FULL of texture. Explore at your own risk!
No comments:
Post a Comment