Clynelish 19 Year Old 1996 Signatory for The Bonding Dram

This very pale Clynelish came from the warehouses of Signatory and was bottled a few years ago by three Flemish whisky shops: The Bonding Dram, The Single Malt Whisky Shop and Prima Vinum. It’s a single cask at cast strength and I presented it recently at a Clynelish/Brora Masterclass in Ghent.

The typical beeswax is present on the nose from the first whiff. Then some sweet malt, loads of honey and pineapple, red and green apples and grapefruit. But the aroma of fresh, juicy peach claims most of the attention of your olfactory instrument.

This continues on the palate. Beeswax, peach, pineapple, grapefruit, Granny Smith. This is joined by a nice note of quinine and quite a big dose of white pepper. It is (to me at least) impossible not to like this.

The finish is medium long and while the fruit gently fades, some nuts kick in.

Admittedly, this Clynelish is somewhat straightforward and hardly complex, but who cares when it’s this good?

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