Clynelish 1965 29 Year Old Sherry Cask #667 Signatory

Clynelish 1965 29 Year Old Sherry Cask

• Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• Signatory

70cl / 52.1%

A very rare 1965 vintage whisky from Clynelish. Today’s Clynelish distillery started production in 1968, so this whisky was actually distilled at the old distillery, renamed first to Clynelish B when the new one was built, and then later to Brora. Matured for a full 29 years and bottled at cask strength by Signatory in 1994, about 11 years after Brora distillery closed.

Colour: white wine. Nose: rather similar to the Cadenhead, but maybe a tad cleaner and showing more reserve. Just as waxy but less resinous than both 13’s at first nosing, but there’s quite some pine resin indeed after a good while. Also more mineral, flinty, almost lemony notes (lime). Not and easy dram at full strength, it seems that this one is rather for aficionados than for ‘simple’ tourists. Keeps developing for a long time, that is, with whiffs of cardamom, shoe polish, lemon balm, oysters. Clynelish 1965 29 Year Old Sherry Cask #667 Signatory

With water: this is interesting, as it got more ‘precise’ and ‘focused’. Cloves, ginger, wax and a faint yeastiness. Mouth (neat): an even huger punch than with the Cadenhead’s but also a straighter style. A lot of sweetness from the alcohol but also a little salt right at first sips. Pineapple sweets, vanilla and, indeed, a little coconut again. Other than that it’s a little raw so let’s not wait any longer and add water. With water: now we’re talking! More spices, more wax, more salt, more herbs, more smokiness, more, err, ‘clams’ (or any almondy/salty kind of seafood), tea, a little pine resin just like at first nosing. Clynelish 1965 29 Year Old Sherry Cask #667 Signatory

It’s still a little wild (at roughly 45% ABV) but even tourists should not dislike this ;-). Finish: long, even saltier and maritime. Comments: very interesting that the owners composed such a vatting for this ‘distillery only’ version. It seems that they tried to stay as close to the distillery’s character as possible, maybe at the expenses of simple ‘drinkability’. Well, as Clynelish aficionados, we certainly won’t complain