Time for another review today! Clynelish must surely be one of my favourite brands. Besides that they almost never dissapoint, I love that typical wax smell that is so characterestic in the Clynelish whiskies. Let’s see what this Clynelish 2001 of Gordon & MacPhail will bring.

This Clynelish has matured in refill sherry casks and is bottled in 2016 at 54 % ABV. (Casks 307489 & 307850)

Clynelish 2001 tasting notes:

Nose: A Clynelish with sherry notes, it does have a bit of waxiness but lacks the full wax power. Some minerals but the sherry notes overpower it a bit (raisins, figs). Still it’s nice and integrated but I just miss a bit of the waxiness. With water: a little bit more of that typical Clynelish smell (fruit, wax some more minerals there) also some citrus underneath.

Taste: Fruitiness with cacao and chocolate. It is quite sharp, probably due to the high ABV. With water: less punchy and it gets better; fruits, sweets and citrus. The chocolate is totally gone, I like this much more. Seems like the sherry influence is gone and the spirit is coming back.

Finish: Drying mouthfeel, dark chocolate and cacao powder. Nothing of the fruits left in the taste. With water: less drying in the mouth, sweeter and fresh fruit. A pinch of citrus too. The finish itself is quite short.

The cask influence is quite heavy in this one, with water it gets better but still it lacks that very nice Clynelish taste and smell.