A secret Highland Malt 2000 bottled recently in the Liquid Treasures series. People are always speculating and in this case I’ve seen several mentions of Clynelish spirit. Who knows.
This is a joint bottling with The Whisky Fair. You’ll find the same whisky with a birds label.
Highland Malt 19 yo 2000 (55,6%, Liquid Treasures ‘From Miles Away’ 2020, bourbon hogshead #1442, 325 btl.)
Nose: quite some lactic notes up front, joint by sunflower oil and some dusty notes. Zesty lemons and ginger. Lots of grasses and pine wood. A fairly sharp, almost mustardy note as well. Hoppy touches. Bitter herbs. Not an easy one, if this is Clynelish indeed, then it’s a bit off-centre to say the least.
Mouth: oats, sweet ginger, mustard again, with a rubbery touch and lots of herbal hints. Linseed oil, a bitter resinous touch. Grapefruit and cider apples, maybe some unripe greengages, but this is not a fruity spirit. Reminds me of some austere Banff or Glen Mhor.
Finish: medium, waxier, with lemon zest and leafy notes.
An interesting but difficult, slightly uncivilised whisky. Certainly not a classic Clynelish in my opinion, so much that I’m inclined to say it is probably another distillery. Fairly sharp and funky. Still available from eSpirits for instance.