The Art of Whisky is a new series from Elixir Distillers (the bottling department of The Whisky Exchange), which will be presented at the upcoming Whisky Show in London (30/09 – 02/10).
There are seven show bottlings, including this Clynelish 21 Year Old. The rest can be found here, except for one that will be revealed at the show.
Clynelish 21 yo ‘Art of Whisky Distilling’ (56,1%, Elixir Distillers 2017, ex-bourbon hogshead, 251 btl.)
Nose: warm pears and golden apples, yellow flowers and hints of waxed fabrics. Some chalky notes, almonds and lemon zest. Subtle whiffs of marshmallow. Faint hints of ferns, dried grass and earth in the background. Classic.
Mouth: starts off quite gently, with lots of fruits in a second wave. Bananas, apples again, a hint of litchi. Then spices (pepper, ginger and aniseed) and waxy lemons. Hay and herbal touches, a a light bitter edge as well. Salty butter and grapefruit towards the end.
Finish: apples, drying oak spices (nutmeg, ginger) and sweet lemons.
A classic Clynelish 1995/1996 profile. It will be available at the show and then exclusively from The Whisky Exchange, keep your eyes peeled. Around € 125.
Score: 89/100