Douglas Laing & Co. Ltd. Old Malt Cask Clynelish 13yo (50.0%): First day back to London and in a couple of hours I found myself in
The Vintage House of Soho staring at the shelves. After some browsing I left with a wee advance sample bottle of Old Malt Cask. The whisky is distilled at Clynelish distillery in April 1997, aged exclusively in a bourbon hogshead (#6571) and bottled in September 2010. Un-chill filtered, no coloring...
Color: Chardonnay, very pale.
Nose: Classic waxy Clynelish nose:
Irish Spring soap bar, white pillar candles and butcher's wax. A much younger nose than I would expect though. A fruit bowl of strawberry, banana and kiwi slices topped with peppermint leaves. Light flower honey, gentle smoke and dried up yellow grass.
Palate: Surprisingly salty... Coarse sea
salt.
Furniture grade oak timber, fresh walnuts, peppermint and mint chocolate. Parsley leaves. Less fruity and more grassy than the nose. Some fresh Turkish apricots at the background.
Finish: Salty and peppery. Sizzling and quite long.
Overall: A very vibrant and young at heart Clynelish. This whisky carries all the characteristics of the distillery but not showing its age. Must be the hogshead. I wonder why they decided to bottle it instead of waiting longer. Maybe the cask wasn't adding any flavors anymore. Nevertheless I am glad I had the chance to sample it. Now the tasting notes are done I can sit down and enjoy the remaining drops...
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