Clynelish 20 Year Old 1995 Signatory Decanter Collection

In 2016 Signatory released this 20 years old Clynelish from the ‘magical year’ of 1995 in this beautiful decanter in their… err… Decanter Collection. It was – alas, I’m inclined to say – cut to 43%. But hey, experience has taught me that 40% or 43% can sometimes still lead to lovely things. It does not always have to be cask strength, right? While the cask type is not mentioned, I do believe this was a sherry butt, as there were 840 bottles released.

Oooh, this is good. The typical waxiness from Clynelish is combined with walnut cake with honey, a freshly struck match (only for a bit) and all kinds of citrus fruit, both fresh and candied. I am even reminded of nachos with cheese sauce for a second. Or miso soup. Exciting!

On the palate, this is textbook Clynelish. Typical creamy, waxy notes of leather, oranges with even a salty note. Yes, oranges start to dominate, but I can live with that. Parsley peeks around the corner. Some more earthy notes, some vanilla and – don’t laugh – a single drop of blood. Very good!

And in the finish – which is surprisingly long – that salty edge returns for an encore.

This may very well have been a manzanilla cask. Whatever the case, this is a very quaffable Clynelish and the modest ABV does not detract. Recommended!

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