Clynelish 1996 SV Cask Strength Collection - Symington’s Choice

I'm leaving one point open because I hope to find an even better whisky someday. But so far it is simply the best whisky I have ever tasted

You get those dried fruits, dates, plum jam, figs and hints of chocolate. Everyone has a different interpretation so I’m not going to put too many tasting notes. But I will give you my reason why I scored it higher than most other Clynelish I tried before. I am highly sensitive to tannins and astringency and I am not getting much at all! Usually, a letdown for an older Clynelish is the lower proof, which could fall way below 100 proof. I tend to find the mouth feel quite enjoyable on this particular bottle. I would highly recommend this as a buy.

Very dark and dense. The nose seems to be filled with sherry. Too. There is also a lot of sherry in the taste, but the oak notes are also good. The age is visible. Pleasant, but no more

90/91/89/90

90.5

I would never have guessed it was a Clynelish, not even from the nose. The cask was far too strong and, in my opinion, didn't leave much of a Clynelish impression. However, the cask itself was top-notch; such an intense and flawless cask is very rare these days, extremely drinkable and pleasing. Plums, wild berries, cream, the alcohol is incredibly well integrated – no water is needed! After a while, a floral note (roses?) emerges, and on the palate, more cocoa and a hint of furniture polish. Very delicious! If the rather bland nose were better, it would easily be over 90 points! The price is a joke, though... The 10cl sample is perfectly sufficient for me.

It's a very standard modern fresh sherry. When open the bottle, the fresh fruit scent is overwhelming. Over time, the nutty scent characterized by oloroso rises strongly. Feeling of the tea was very excited. * This is a great Clynelish, but I think the current score is overrated. If you buy a bottle, I think you will need a lot of judgment, not a score.

Wax and sweetness bring a tight taste experience.

I'm probably forgetting things, but it doesn't make you want to intellectualize it at all, it's so greedy. To date, this is my tenth Clynelish 95-96, they had never excited me, until this one.

Sister barrel from WB223662

Sherry is the bomb. Clynelish is difficult to recognize. Maybe in the taste - aftertaste. Leather, spices, chocolate, plums, raisins. 22.5-23-22.5-23

My friends already warned me: this is a good one. Take your time. let's find out.

Solid, drinkable, but unfortunately not a Clynelish that's worth the price. It's enjoyable, but doesn't stick in your mind.

Very tasty Oloroso bottling, the waxiness is there, great mouthfeel, alcohol is very well integrated. I really like it.

I find the discussion about the rating of this Clynelish very interesting. First of all, I would say that in itself this is simply a very, very good whisky that can certainly justify a high rating. Almost every better whisky gets 90 points and in my opinion this is definitely a step above the “normal good” whisky. Of course, the price then comes into play when assessing the price-performance ratio. The whisky was initially sold for between 450-500 euros and I would base my rating on this (no matter how good a whisky is... Everyone should consider whether they have to have a bottle at twice the price and would like to contribute to that to turn the price spiral further upwards). Considering the 26 years and the fact that it is a UA, I think the Clynelish is priced very ambitiously, but in terms of taste it can absolutely justify up to 500 euros. Here I find the comparison to the Grandeur a bit unsporting, as the RRP costs twice as much, is an original bottling and Glendronach with BW of course has a small bonus. If I could put together a dream tasting from my top 5 whiskys that I have tried, this would definitely be included. Hence my personal very high rating. When it comes to taste, I think everything has already been said

I have been fortunate enough to try many high quality drams over the last 2 weeks, from Grandeur 11 and 12, Talisker and Ardbeg from yesteryear to Laga from 1979. This Cly here is very very good, but cannot compete with these others. I agree with Ango that far too many "normal" drams get very high ratings and in my opinion a much greater differentiation is lacking (the scale also has numbers below 80 points). But this dram also has room for improvement. In my opinion, the price has no place in the rating. It's about the taste and quality, not the price. Prices change (see SB LB), the whisky stays the same. I gave the dram about 20 minutes to rest today and will extend that time again in the coming days. 86-90 – Wow, really good one, needs a bottle

A very impressive Clynelish and one that would make a great add to anyone’s collection - if it weren’t for that insane price tag. Kicks of with deep and lush sherry cask notes. The best raisins, a mix of sweet berries and swirls of salted caramel. Amazing! Also, thick coffee liquer, roasted nuts and chocolates. Nitpicking - the cask speaks much louder than the Clynelish distillate but other then we have a winner here. Highly recommended!

Delicious, drinkable Clynelish. But, in my opinion, the barrel dominates too much and has blocked out the wax component of the distillery.

Seing this strange WB page with all these half fake ratings coming from nowhere, I had to open the bottle and checking this juice. Short review tasting it at the end of a short line up. 2 hours in the glass before going for it, even if it still a fresh opened bottle.

yesterday, I made a fair comparison of the Clynelish vs. Glenfarclas 1989 #13007 and Glenfarclas 1991 #163. In short: 1989 and Clynelish are like head to head, there is not a clear "win", but the 1991 finished the Clynelish totally off and this on the one hand, shows how good Family casks were in the former releases and that the Clynelish is far from deserving 93P like it started here. Thankfully, the avg rating came down to realistic.

It is difficult to recognise the Clynelish in the nuttiness, the sherry butt is too dominant at first, I was lucky enough to get a drop on my hand and rub it in. You can definitely feel the wax, that would have helped me blindfolded. The nose is beautiful, rather modern and also a little unspectacular. But in the mouth it really takes off, a strong start (noticeable in the mouth) and then the full force of dark dried fruit, pepper, dark chocolate, roasted nuts and earthy components. And also a little beeswax. No bitter substances at all. Small sips offer great enjoyment. The finish then has a massive presence with berries, raisins, wax, mulled wine spices and still a hint of chocolate. There is something to "chew on".

of the old school!!! an exceptional barrel that seems much older than 1996. the notes of beef stock, coffee, chocolate, soy, teriyaky, musty and ultimately very meaty, personally take me easily to the mid-70s and early 80s. On the other hand, Although it is true that of course the barrel predominates over the malt, with some effort some wax is insinuated on the nose and especially if the drink is kept in the mouth for a long time, the typical tropical notes of Clynelich appear.

Aroma typical Signatory Vintage oloroso, cherries, dark chocolate, dried fruits, licorice, hints of black pepper Body typical oloroso sherry, full bodied, chewy, earthy, dark chocolate, raisins, dark fruits, hints of wax in the background, gradually fades into a dry sherry finish with dominating chocolate, almonds, para nuts, slights bitterness and tanins. Overall mixed feelings. On one hand another great oloroso matured whisky from SV. On the other hand the cask completely dominates the spirit and if you expect a typical Clynelish character, you will hardly find it.

A fantastic sherry whisky that, for me, is close to perfection, improving on the nose by the minute and becoming more brilliant on the palate with every sip. Despite its heaviness, the typical Clynelish waxiness is clearly recognizable.

Sherry bomb, waxy, and then fruits - so nice

Very sherrid style- berries syrup, roasted bread,little waxy, dark chocolate

Slightly firm, with notes of brown sugar and a hint of spice. Not overly waxy. The ’96 Clynelish typically carries a bourbon cask profile, but I’m excited to see how it evolves in the future.

Too bad it's Shirley Clynelish

The layering is extremely rich, with a rich pot of dark stewed fruit, mixed with spices and a hint of wood. It also avoids the common problem of regular Sherry Cat, with a faint waxy texture at the end. It has the wonderful presentation of a good Sherry barrel, while retaining the tone of the Cat Distillery itself.

Wow, what a Clynelish, Cask 11383! Signatory found an optimal time to bottle it. If you give the malt some time (10-15 minutes), it will get better and better! Slàinte mhath..

For me, an outstanding malt that has everything an old-school sherry whisky needs. Balanced fruits, spices, leather, tobacco, gentlemen's room, old library. Nothing stands out unpleasantly. An absolute top malt (without judging the much too high price)

For me, an almost perfect sherry-matured whisky, alcohol is superbly integrated. Tastes like the "good old days". Very complex.

This is the best Symington’s Choice edition I've had topping the Glen Keith in my humble opinion. Excellent sherried expression of Clynelish. I find the sherry casks used for the Symington’s Choice Editions overpowering most spirits but they have something special with this one.

Yes, it is a very tasty whisky, very nice nose with roasted aromas and the waxy character of a Clynelish is present. The finish falls off a bit, I even found it slightly sulphurous. But does all of this justify this high average rating or even price towards €1,000? I don't think so if I use a Glendronach Grandeur Batch 11 as a reference, which is rated at 92.5 P on average. The Clynelish is currently rated too high at 2-3 points. Everyone has to make up their own mind about the quality of the high ratings. I get suspicious when newcomers give around 100 points and talk about it being the best whisky ever. For me these are fake profiles that drive up prices...

So many good reviews of this hype whisky demand a review. The taste and finish are the strongest part for me! In fact the sherry works very well with the Clynelish here! (Sherry at Clynelish doesn't really work well often). Very nice sherry aromas with little “Clynelish character”. You wouldn't taste Clynelish here blindly.

This is a very good malt. The nose and finish are very refined and reflect what I expect from a sherry Clynelish. But the taste really packs a punch, tasting incredibly long and superb. Too expensive at €500, and even more so at current prices of €750+, but it's simply a unique and outstanding flavor.

slightly peated?

One of the best Clynelish sherry wines