Distillery Profile

Taste rating:3/:4

Region: Highland

Fruity elegance over peat. High Regard

A dive through the river Spey to find the island of Islay underneath.

The boss's fave (if there is one), fruity with a peaty undercurrent. Ace.

Flavour Map Ref: E5
Complex

[Blind tasting note from RJ during the SFWC:

SCORE: 4/5

Intense and engaging nose - pungent, phenolic . Strong liquorice flavours, Pontefract cakes and peat emerging, Very pleasant.]

Regrettably so. Why? (Okay I know, but...).

Finished, mature enhanced, back-end-loaded, tarted up, additional cask

enhanced in an Oloroso seco cask, (why?).

A spirity, sherry nose but musty too, lots of aromatic ring hydrocarbons.

To taste it is tannic and drying, Dave suggested sweet&sour, I agree.

The finish does it no favours, perhaps next time there should be less sherry time.

Flavour Map Ref: G5
Complex

A Signatory Independent single cask strength bottling.

Refill sherry but, very pale for a 33yo.

This is a hugely entertaining whisky, Signatory have bottled some classic Clynelishs in the past and this one is as good but for different reasons.

Neat the nose is quiet, gently oaken with emerging chocolate and lemon. On the tongue it is BIG, well balances and settles right in the middle. The swallow is it's unique aspect it is a massive slam to the senses with a suitably long finish.

Water causes the aroma to explode like the neat swallow, vibrant and fascinating. An ace, not sure if it should be drunk with or without water, two glasses probably.

A Signatory Independent single cask strength bottling.

See 'label explanations' above for more information.

Product added to lfw.co.uk: 19-Dec-2006

Picture added: 19-Dec-2006