The 10th Anniversary of The Whisky Exchange in London has brought us a series of rare Anniversary whiskies. We’ve already reviewed an excellent Longmorn 1969/2009 and now it’s time for a 37 years old Clynelish. They don’t mention it on the bottle, but there’s a high chance that this was distilled in 1972 because there have been mostly 1972 and 1992 bottlings in their Single Malts of Scotland range. Around 200 bottles have been bottled.

Clynelish 37 yo (46%, The Whisky Exchange 10th Anniversary 2009)

Nose: beautiful start on beeswax and honey. Very fruity, with a basket of fresh tropical fruits (mango, pineapple) and more indigenous fruit (pear, orange, tangerine). Haribo bears. Lovely paraffin. Vanilla. Whiffs of oak spices to top it off (cinnamon and light pepper). A little olive oil and camphor. I don’t like to use the word ‘perfect’ but this is close! Mouth: a bit more resinous now. Still fruity (orange, peach, banana) but less exhuberant. Some Turkish delight. Hints of smoke and dust. In the end it shows ginger and a slightly salty hint of liquorice. Finish: very long and waxy with hints of orange skin and resinous dry oak.

Compared to the recent wave of 1982 Clynelish, this is oakier (of course), with more citrus and a more delicate profile. There have been some questions about the fact that it was diluted to 46% instead of earlier cask strength releases, but I can confirm that the end result is a good mix of complexity and drinkability. One to cherish! Available from TWE. Around € 175.

Score: 92/100