Clynelish 9 Year (SMWS 26.222 "Pleasantly Puzzling")

 

Clynelish is such a lovely spirit - it's so bright, with citrus everywhere and tropical fruit often present, with a salty, chalky texture that really showcases the flavors very well. At its best, of course, there is the famously fantastic wax flavor/texture present, although I suspect that Clynelish (Diageo) hoards the waxiest casks and sells off the minimally waxy ones. 

That said, this bottle hails from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), which has released dozens of lovely Clynelish casks, usually between 7 and 12 years old, that have mountains of bright sugary citrus character. Often featuring a very high ABV and occasionally an unusual note here or there, they rarely disappoint. 

This bottle is a 9 year old, and according to the official notes is quite a curiosity: 

"A delight for the curious at heart," we thought, as pineapple chunks and pear drop sweets dipped into pearl barley coated in creamy butter. Strawberry sour beer added a tang to the sweetness before olive oil drizzled over dried kelp. The palate was also a sensory puzzle, with vanilla and ripe pears creating wax-coated sweetness that ventured towards tart apples in pastry. With water the apples remained, now joined by seaside grasses and oil on oak decking. Lovely heather honey flavours combined with pineapples as they returned, bringing with them wild flowers in a fruit orchard and vanilla on the finish.

Well, damn! I'm curious at heart - and mind, and soul - and these tasting notes are not exactly off-putting: pear drops, butter, strawberry beer, olive oil ... even all together, those things jive for me. 

Bottled at 62.1% ABV after 9 years in a first-fill ex-bourbon cask, let's see how it does: 

Nose: Heavy malt that subsides with time in the glass. Overripe pear dipped in olive oil, salt, apple pie, seaweed, citrus-forward beer (IPA?). Surprising and strange! But it settles down into a somewhat traditional Clynelish eventually - just takes much longer than most bottles to do so. 

Mouthfeel: Robust, on the thicker side. 

Palate: Ah, there we go: waxed candy (Starburst), particularly lemon and orange. Numbingly strong alcohol. Strawberry and salt. Pear and apple, but especially pear. Tropical candies, like pineapple gummies. 

Quite waxy, actually - more than most SMWS bottles. Candle wax and citrus candy are the dominant flavors here. If I was the SMWS tasting panel, I would have pushed the wax element much more prominently, since it's so often missing or marginal in the casks that SMWS gets. 

Strongly benefits from time in the glass, and eventually settles into a very attractive Clynelish - chalky lemon candy, wax, orchard fruit, lots of salinity, and some tropical fruit. Very nice for only 9 years! The youth is felt throughout in the alcohol halo that permeates each sip. 

Finish: Ethanol glow, strawberry candy, pear and lemon, and malt barley. Hints of salt and sugar. Long, but mostly because of the alcohol carrying everything on fumes. 

Verdict: This is only puzzling on the initial snuff/sip. If you let it sit a half hour or even a full hour, it settles down into a perfectly normal high-test Clynelish. It feels like there must be a few volatile oils here and there that bring some odd scents and flavors to the fore if you sip it immediately, but they break down when oxidizing. Or something like that. I can easily recommend this, it's a winner if you like that bright young Clynelish character.