Review 135: Adelphi Clynelish 1997-2012

And just like that, we're back to scotch malt whisky! Though, that 1967 Karuizawa will linger in my memory for a long, long time... A while ago I reviewed the rather good Clynelish 14 year old distillery bottling. This will be my first review of an independently bottled Clynelish, which is something I should have done some time ago. The OB is nice, but the best expressions from this distillery are found elsewhere. Well, that's just my opinion. Anyway, I think this 15 year old Clynelish from Adelphi will be good a reference for comparison to the OB. This was matured in a refill bourbon barrel, number #6510. Oh, and thanks to Claus for the sample!

Adelphi Clynelish 1997-2012

Color: Amber -2

ABV: 54.5%

Aroma Neat:
Beeswax/Honeycomb, Minerality, Gentle Peat (subtle, broken down), Floral Honey, Pollen (slightly), Soft Maltiness, Orange Zest (very slightly), Woody Vanilla Bean, Marshmallow/Rice Krispies, Syrupy Wood Sugars, Oak, Wood Smoke (faintly).

Another relatively tame Clynelish, similar to the OB in temperament  Unlike the OB, this is less dryly woody and is much more honeyed.

Aroma Water:
Clover Honey, Beeswax, Toasted Oak, Rich French Vanilla, Powdered Sugar/Marshmallows (slightly), Mineral Water, Pollen, Fresh Cotton, Syrupy Wood Sugars, Shortbread Cookies (slightly buttery), Malt Barley Flour, Sweet Char.

Opens very nicely. The honey theme continues, but is supplemented by a warming sensation of oak and shortbread.

Taste Neat:
Waxy, Dry Oak, Robust Tannins, Dark Clover Honey, Dried Malt Grist/Belvita Biscuits, Minerality, Buttery/Sweetish Barrel Char.

Reasonably drinkable neat and rather tasty. It's not deeply complex, but it hits a few key notes very well. Woodier than neat and with darker, rawer honey.

Taste Water:
Candle Wax(bee's too!), Mineral Water, Sweet Barrel Char, Honey in Thin Tea, Wood Smoke, Peat (very faint), Malt Barley (slightly bitter).

I really like the cask this was in. It imparted a very delicious sweet char flavor to the whisky.

Finish:
Candle Wax, Honey, Dry Twigs/Bark, Mineral (slightly), Woody Vanilla.

Warming and somewhat waxy and honeyed again. Medium duration.

Conclusion:
Partly sweet, honeyed and fresh nose.

Woodier, charrier palate, with still some honey and pleasing  maltiness.

Waxy and somewhat mineral through the finish, with some more, you guessed it, honey.

Rating: 85/100

I actually prefer this expression to the OB, head-to-head at least. I've rated this lower, because I think I was a little generous to the OB when I reviewed it. There are a lot of scores I'd like to review in hindsight. Many other reviewers probably feel the same way. Oh well, if I do anything I'll just annotate my reviews with updated opinions and scores. I won't remove the original description or rating. It's there for a reason after all! Rating whisky is really tricky because it varies by time!

Oops, that got off-topic quickly. To sum up, this is a really nice honeyed, waxy Clynelish with an enjoyable profile. It's not fantastic, but I wish I had a bottle on hand! It's just plain tasty!

Josh