2026/01/23 Clynelish

Clynelish 20yo 1994/2015 (55.4%, Cadenhead Wood Range, Sherry Cask, 486b, 15/292): nose: generous Sherry maturation at play, with chocolate spread and prune jam. There are also dried dates and figs, to be sure. It is chocolate-y above all. A minute later, we have precious woods and furniture polish, and the dried fruits get the better of the chocolate. Suddenly, it drops strong wax on a polished leather sofa, before coming back to dried fruits, now cured dates and apricot slices. The second nose is fruitier yet; it adds blueberries and gooseberries, and, out of nowhere, pickled pearl onions, followed by golden caster sugar. After that, something paints a clear picture: one is sitting on a newly-oiled wooden bench on a hill; in the distance, the sea is visible; one is enjoying a piece of Brie. Why? Why not! Mouth: oily, borderline honey-like in texture, it comes with a dash of car polish. It takes a second or two for the alcohol to kick in and it is a modest bite only. Half-a-chew (Pick-a-chew) unveils demijohns of fortified wine, syrupy and gently acidic. Currants, prunes, dates and figs, all dried and drenched in syrupy liqueur, augmented with a drop of red-wine vinegar. The second sip is more acidic, if anything. Fresh cranberries, lingonberries, unripe bilberries, and pickled pearl onions as soon as one starts chewing. It has a blend of red-wine vinegar and syrupy fortified wine, and there is a pinch of earth in there too. It works! Finish: it is a bit earthier here, with wine-poached button mushrooms turning into an owl's pellet. It is a little hairy and bitter, reminiscent of some Madeira wines of questionable quality, yet that is made more pleasant by the lasting warmth it generates, rustic and comforting. Speaking of rusticity, it points more and more clearly towards walnut armchairs, recently waxed, and their smell fills up the room. The second gulp has bold rubbery dark berries, plump and chewy, not bitter, followed by black liquorice bootlaces. Unless it is cough syrup: it has a subtle mixture of liquorice, camphor and clove rather similar to Covonia, even if it is much more subtle than that. It is a distant cousin, not a twin sibling. 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, OB)