Review #1: Clynelish 14

This is my first tasting review. But definitely not my first tasting. The reduction in the frequency of cocktail blogging has coincided with the frenetic acquisition of whiskies. I tend to find whisky reviews too erudite and flowery, so I decided to write a few for us commoners/novices. 

Pictured below is my near-empty bottle. So I know this whisky pretty intimately.

Even then, it was hard to come up with a review. I call it my “dessert whisky” and find it very fruity and lovely (even though I’m actually a peaty scotch drinker). 

Additional Information

Because it was so dessert-y, I decided to try it against my benchmark “dessert whisky”, the Yamazaki 12 to compare. Very different. The Yamazaki is much sweeter, with confectionary and apple/strawberry tastes, versus the marmalade and citrus tastes of the Cynelish.

About Clynelish

• Likely to be base of many Johnny Walker whiskies
• Prides itself to be unusual that it is a “waxy” spirit, because Clynelish does not remove the natural buildup of oils in the feints and foreshots (added back in)
• Founded by the Marquis of Stafford (first Duke of Sutherland) in 1819 to take some portion of the local whisky supply away from the area’s smuggling fraternity
• Original Clynelish became Brora, which specialized in peated whisky (due to an Islay shortage because of a drought). The new Clynelish was originally built to replace Brora. So… Clynelish became Brora which became Clynelish again.