Clynelish distillery is located on the East coast of Sutherland in the village of Brora, an hour north of Inverness. For many it remains a bit of an unknown quantity, but for blenders and collectors, it is a distillery that elicits rare spikes of emotion. One look around this year’s Old and Rare whisky show and it was clear that older bottlings, both original and independent, are treasured by collectors, commanding high, sometimes stratospheric prices. Key to its appeal is its signature waxy character, a quirk of distilling nature that has proved very hard to decode or replicate elsewhere– a fact that goes some way to explaining why one bite from the Clynelish Wild Cat (a symbol that also appears on bottles of neighbouring Brora), tends to lead to a lifelong pursuit of this very particular flavour profile.
In 1896 Harper’s Weekly described it as “A singularly valuable property, as the make has always obtained the highest price of any single Scotch whisky" – and while we can’t confirm that now, it’s popularity with blenders shows no signs of abating. All of which is bad news for collectors, as older stocks of this heavy weight waxy character are now in scarce supply.
Read MoreWith beautiful views of the North Sea and the mountains to the north, the Clynemilton burn runs over seams of gold in the bedrock. With this water, Clynelish distillery produces a fruity, waxy, slightly smoky, sea-spicy single malt. One of our favourite expressions in recent years saw Clynelish released as a non-age statement single malt. It was a controversial move at the time, but as time has passed, and the calibre of whisky in the bottle has shone through. Released at a full cask strength of 54.9%, the youngest whisky in the blend is 16 years old, with most of the liquid far older than that. This is a delicious and complex malt that moves smoothly from waxy high notes of rich fruit and sweet butterscotch, through deep warmth, to the silky, dark dryness of an aromatic finish. Evocative, confident and joyful, it is astonishingly fresh yet speaks of the past, layering the classic coastal ozone, brine and peat with fragrant, fruity complexity and sweet warmth. It is even easier to enjoy with water, which exposes its lighter side and raises more elegant layers of creamy flavour. Only 2,964 individually numbered bottles were produced.
Or if that feels like a bit of an investment, a favourite of staff here at J&B is the classic distillery expression at 14 years old. This is a superb single malt which offers typically taut Barbour wax notes mixed with sweet floral fragrances, and salty maritime elements that develop into notes of waxed apple before wrapping up with a light, dry finish. It is a classic case of a coastal Highland malt with a subtle Island character offering up huge enjoyment and interest at a wallet friendly price.