Clynelish 37 Year Old (TWE 10th Anniversary)

Sukhinder Singh bottled a lot of good whiskies for the 10th anniversary of his shop The Whisky Exchange in 2009. One of those was this – already sold out – Clynelish 37 Year Old. About 200 bottles were released, acoording to Tim from TWE.

Oh, my, this is something else… It starts off very fruity with blood oranges and pear, but also some tropical fruits like pineapple, papaya and green banana. The typical waxiness is very prominent, as is the honey. Olive oil, too. And a touch of cod-liver oil (not an off note!). After a few moments, the vanilla kicks in. Softly sprinkled with pepper and cinnamon. This is a nose you want to keep smelling.

On the palate, the initial creaminess must move over for the drying wood. At this respectable age, that doesn’t come as a surprise, of course. And the whole remains very fruity. Ginger, pepper (more than on the nose) and a big swig of brine. It has something ‘old’, like I’m tasting this in the attic, while leafing through old photo albums. It’s this kind of association that make this such a wonderful dram.

The long and warm finish is quite salty. A lot of tannins on the deathbed, that leave your mouth completely dry.

This is only my 8th Clynelish so far and I’m sure there are many more gems to discover, but I think I can safely say it will be a while before I find another such beauty from this Highland distillery. Simply magnificent whisky, that enables you to pass a very enjoyable half hour. Happy dramday, TWE!

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