Clynelish 1997 MoS Rare Casks

EYE/NOSE Optical old gold/amber. Old sherry notes waft from the glass. With my eyes closed, the Clynelish transports me to a dusty library in a matter of seconds. In my mind, I sprawl on a worn-out Chesterfield sofa, which has graced this historic hall for ages and has seen its best days decades ago. On my lap is a yellowed old tome, the pages have become brittle and are sticking together. Once the old dust-parchment-leather aromas have penetrated, pure Oloroso follows. Dark honey leads, with earthy undertones, rich sweetness, very subtle bitterness and hints of toffee. Then comes roasted espresso beans, spiced orange peel, nutmeg and caramelized Demerara sugar. I can't stop sucking in the flavors. Pure enjoyment. PALATE Right from the start, the malt coats the mouth with an oily-waxy and pleasantly powerful finish, just as you would expect from a cask-strong Clynelish from a sherry cask. The taste reflects most of the aromas from the nose, and that's a real treat. The finely tart, slightly malty forest honey, the spicy-juicy orange and the intensive espresso elements with various nuances of earthiness, acidity and chocolate fight with each other on an equal footing, without one dimension being able to gain the upper hand. All embedded in a mild sweetness, never sticky or even artificial. FINISH/CONCLUSION Mmmmhmmm... smooth, long finish. This is pure taste. Warm caramel pastries, orange marmalade, slightly earthy. Getting drier towards the end. Elegant, absolutely flawless old school sherry malt with a phenomenal nose that revives the golden age of sherry malts. A bit like a GlenDronach Allardice batch from the Walker days of yesteryear, but a good deal more complex, almost like on steroids. Facebook: #Maltkanzlei

Good sheeeeeery cat.

It tastes pretty good, but not top-notch.

This is a very interesting drink; the tasting pleasure is far greater than the aroma of Clynelish, making it a typical learning example.

90.5

This one convinced me more than the black 1996 to 2022 SV Clynelish. I gave it the same treatment. Had 5 cl a couple of months before and left the other 5 cl standing in a 10 cl bottle to give it some air. That treatment went well. I like it! Again bigger sips help with the taste!

Full, rich, dark aromas that harmoniously combine notes of fully ripe and dried fruits with those from the chocolate/coffee/leather range. Only, even if the cask doesn't overwhelm the distillate by any means, I wouldn't necessarily have sniffed Clynelish right now; but the whisky offers the nose the complete spectrum of a magnificent sherry cask maturation. It completely covers the mouth with a creamy, beautiful sweetness; plus lots of fruit marinated with fine oak spice. The Clynelish DNA is now also clearly present here with the waxiness typical of the distillery. The finish is very long with nice spices and dark fruit chocolate.

Strikes a nice balance between a generous amount of sherry influence and the recognisable Clynelish spirit. Very well balanced, the best sherry matured Clynelish I've experienced so far!

This is a perfect Sherry Clynelish. I would almost say that nowadays even the more than 400 euros are probably justified. I don't know whether the 47.6 percent is actually cask strength. With more percentages that would probably have been a 94 point whisky. Unfortunately, at some point it runs out of air on the palate. A pity. The nose is almost perfect and individual. The first few moments are beautiful on the palate, but then a bit disappointing because you don't want it to end so quickly. Nevertheless, a very clean, individual Clynelish from the sherry cask.

Really great barrel, complex, autumnal and with fine tannins that don't overpower anything. Rightly in the Rare Casks series.

Nice cat, but the sherry flavor is more than the clynelish style, I might prefer those 95vintage bottles of SV

First of all - I would never buy it for the price of 460€. Just out of the question. but... Nose Immediately you can feel the qualities of the whisky - sweet and spicy at the same time, honey, caramel, tropical fruits and slightly mineral. This is how it should be for a great Sherry Clynelish. The alcohol is well integrated, I smell continuously for a long time. Strong citrus aromas with orange and grated orange zest. Beeswax mixed with forest honey. Very soft and freshly oiled leather, cinnamon and creme brulee. Very complex and almost kitschy how typical the Sherry-Clynelish comes along here. For me this is one of the best things to enjoy. A little wood is added, a touch of liquorice or liquorice. The taste The taste continues seamlessly, I think it matches the aromas from the nose perfectly. I can just repeat everything here, but that would be a bit boring. Rarely do I have a whisky that is really so equal between nose and taste. That is very noticeable. The alcohol warms the palate a little, there is a little strength, but it is pleasant. The sweet side alternates with a slightly more subtle mineral base note, as well as new dried fruit and more forest honey, the dark liquid that combines the beautiful spice and sweetness. Here too, just as one would wish for the Clynelish as it is in the book. departure Medium length, dominated by orange, mineral wax and creme brulee. Very pleasant, these aromas could happily linger longer, but that's how the next sip comes, which is even better. A slight tickle on the tongue, but again this is more evidence of the concentrated aromas than of the disturbing alcohol. It is surprising that the typical Clynelish bitterness is only very subtle, and there is some liquorice on the finish, but actually very little bitterness. Only at the very end does the mineral become slightly bitter. Conclusion Yes, that's the thing. An absolute top malt, fantastic and to be rated purely on the basis of the enjoyment experience with a top note. But, it's also incredibly frustrating, because I'll never, ever buy it at the prices it's called. I leave out the price in the rating and only rate the whisky. Unfortunately, for me it would have to be at most half as expensive to be bought, but then I would put 20 pieces in the basement right away :-) So unfortunately very sad, but also fascinated N-94, T-94, F-93 and a total of 94 points

81-85 – Wow, really good one

Nose: Dark honey, old leather, dark fruits. The smell of freshly ground coffee beans, but more in the background. In the foreground is sweetness with a hint of grated orange peel. Also in the background is some tobacco. Mouth: Very soft start. A bit spicy in the second wave of aromas, ginger, I would say more from the wood than the alcohol. But the spiciness quickly fades away and gives way to a strong sweetness. Dark forest honey and mead. Mead with a little cherry juice. A little orange. A little milk chocolate that turns into dark chocolate over time in the mouth. A very, very nice interplay of sweetness, only slight bitter cocoa notes and spice. Finish: Medium length, sweet and only slight espresso bitterness. Light spicy tobacco notes. Again very balanced. 92/100 Conclusion: Absolutely great Clynelish. You can taste the distillate, the barrel has worked well, it doesn't overwhelm the whisky and it harmonizes beautifully with the distillate. Very good alcohol strength. The brief flash of spiciness in the mouth quickly subsided when diluted with saliva in the mouth.

a beautiful whisky with balanced aromas of wax, honey, leather and fruit. One thing goes well with the other, but I would like a little more pressure on the palate. Nice thing!

Old wine feel, long-aged brandy, big bliss, salted grapes. A good malt that is more about balance than obvious catchiness. Not just powerful or waxy.

Very good Clynelish. Beautiful waxy sweet-dark fruity profile with harmonious spice as a counterpoint.

A very tasty Clynelish.....if only it wasn't so expensive.