Adelphi: Clynelish: 9 Year (Scottish Highland Single Malt Whisky: 9 Years: 53.5% ABV)
Visual: Pale slight green touched grain coloured body. A few fast streaks, but generally just slow puckering from the spirit.
Nose: Cooked rice. Slightly oily. Vanilla yogurt. Soft lime. Vanilla cream in cake sponge. Toffee ice cream syrup. Water adds green grapes and toasted teacakes.
Body: Strong alcohol. Lime. Rice. Waxy. Cereals …rice crispies. Toffee syrup. Water makes fatty butter. Lots of creamy lime. Green grapes. Light strawberry yogurt.
Finish: Waxy sheen. Peppery. Dry white chocolate. Lime. Fatty butter. Kiwi fruit. Pistachio green nut flecks. Honey. Water adds whipped cream. Green grapes. Dried strawberry.
Conclusion: This takes a while to get used to when neat. It has very strong alcohol, not burning, well handled, but suppresses a lot of the other characteristics, leaving a fine feeling but kind of rice led thing. Lovely waxy mouthfeel, nice vibe, just not much going on.
Time led me acclimatise and let sweet notes come out against a cereal character. Still a tad drying to say the least, and a tad rice touched, but better flavor. Sweet, creamy, waxy feel and a touch of creamy green fruit.
So, neat I can get used to it, but it it is a bit rough. Water…oh as so often is the case, water is the game changer. Toffee sweetness comes out clear as can be against vanilla cream. The alcohol and rough rice notes are gone. Green creamy fruit now just bursts over the waxy gripping base, simultaneously big and mouth filling, yet easy to drink.
There is a peppery note to the finish, but without the harshness any more, a fatty butter feel to the whole thing now coats the experience making all the flavours stick around in a delicious way.
Any flaws? Well it isn’t as good as the Clynelish whisky I had a tasting that inspired me to out and buy me a bottle of Clynelish, that one was an utter banger but this is a a lot cheaper and still has a lot of what made me love that drop. Lovely long fruity, waxy dram that can take so much water.
I’d say take a sip neat, see what it is, but only a sip. The main way to enjoy should be with a good chunk of water. It may not be the best Clynelish had that week, but is so very enjoyable with lots of room for finding your sweet spot.
Background: Clynelish used to be a whisky I did not massively rate in my youth. Young me was an idiot. Anyway after having a gorgeous, but outside my current price range Clynelish at a tasting at The Hideout, I saw this much more affordable drop at Independent Spirit, and with my taste for Clynelish renewed, grabbed a bottle. Adelphi are a fantastic independent bottler, so I had high hopes for this. This was aged in a first fill bourbon cask from 2015 to 2025, and this is one of 215 bottles. A small batch it seems. Went with the complex and reward Polyphia: Remember That You Will Die as backing music. Seemed to match the vibe I get from Clynelish.
