At the end of last year, there was a bit of a hype around the Clynelish 1982/2009 by Whisky Agency and the Synch Elli bottling by Daily Dram (both of which were drawn from the same cask, but at different strengths).

A few months later, there was a similar hype around this Clynelish 1982 by Malts of Scotland. Let’s find out…

Clynelish 27 yo 1982 (51,5%, Malts of Scotland 2010, cask #5895, 263 btl.)

Nose: even more beeswax than already expected in Clynelish. Also much more tropical fruit notes (tangerine, melon, peaches on syrup) and honey. Hints of biscuits. Baked apples. A hint of lemon grass. Marzipan. Overall quite sweet but with just enough oak and spices to… well… spice it up a little. What an exceptional profile. Mouth: an extension to the nose, fruity and still quite waxy but it’s less sweet. There’s a bit more oak now and a few flinty notes. Gets drier over time, with a salty edge and hints of tea and ginger. Finish: honeyed and waxy. The spiciness is still growing.

This Clynelish 1982 has all the typical distillery elements and is less austere and ‘warmer’ than the release by Whisky Agency / Daily Dram. Especially the nose is extremely attractive which makes it one of the better Clynelish I’ve tried. Around € 100. It was sold out in no-time, but recently the sister cask has been released (cask #5894), and I’ve heard it’s very very similar, so make sure you don’t miss it.

Score: 91/100