Clynelish - Signatory Unchillfiltered 1991 etc.
There are few people I have met who would ever turn down a Clynelish. It's a lovely dram - pungent, sweet but with a spice/salt edge to kick it all back into shape. A fave go-to malt. I've been drinking a couple recently, the standard 14, an Adelphi bottling (which I'll talk about later) plus tonight's gem from Signatory - 1991.
Ok. It's easier to define this dram by what it's not, than what it is. It's not fruity. It's not oily. There is a touch of rising spice. But all of it is battered down by the ever present smack of salt. In fact, this may be one of the saltiest drams I've ever tasted - and there is nothing wrong with that.
It starts with a thinish, cereal, malty nose but all of it held in check. Waiting to be released out of the traps. It's like a boy racer revving up.
Straight into gear and bang a whack of spice but smashed down against the lemon citrus tang and the salt. Oh yes, it's smooth alright. Oh yes it's silky. There's a touch of caramel, vanilla sweetness but again held against the ropes by that tangy salt. It reminds of a lemon roast chicken - citrus, salt and white meat flesh.
On the finish - there is an attempt at the spice to rally but it's fighting a losing battle. The final result like stuffing your mouth with candy floss before a gulp and swallow of sea water. Fresh, brine, sweet, spice but above all salt.
More swerve than the standard bottling, less sweet, more ballsy, Lacking refinement compared to the Adelphi but doing what this distillery does so well. Not as briney as the CC Inchgower 1993 but up there in the top 10 of salty malt. Loves it me.
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