Clynelish 1995 20 Year Ibisco Decanter (Signatory)

Nose: Vanilla and beeswax with a touch of cinnamon, strikingly like scented candles. Earl Grey tea, camphorwood and naphthalene balls, unscented Castile soap, a herbal smokiness reminiscent of hot oily, smoky fried rice and some cedar cigar box in the background. Palate: An exceptionally smooth cereal and malt arrival with a thick oily, unctuous, waxy texture. Butter, star-anise glazed ham, vanilla cream, pound cake, walnut oil, sourdough bread, aubergines fried in olive oil, honeydew melon, honey and over-ripe persimmon. Finish: Long, sweet, oily, lightly smoky and fruity. Distilled in 1995 and bottled in 2015, this was an unusual and characterful dram with an amazingly voluptuous texture. It was definitely identifiable as a Clynelish but presented a different side to the whisky than I’ve encountered previously. It was like being massaged with warm scented oil and then enjoying a lightly spiced Cantonese meal finished off with a mild fruit-flavoured cigarello. I was very keen to buy a bottle and it would have been fascinating to get to know it at length and leisure, but unfortunately there was none in stock and I’ve not been able to find any since. Tasted at The Oak Barrel in Sydney, 22 May 2017, from a bottle drawn from cask #8682. “Very Good” : 85/100 (4 stars)