Clynelish 12 Years Old Finest Highland Malt 1980’s

Clynelish 12 Years Old Finest Highland Malt 1980’s

$1,975 AUD

43% ABV

70cl

A 1980s bottling of Clynelish by Ainslie & Heilbron Distillers but bottled by Gordon and MacPhail. These old Clynelish bottlings have an enormous cult following, almost on a par with the bottlings from the neighbouring defunct Brora distillery.

This example has the German importer’s name on the label. The fill is to the bottom of the neck and the original box is in good shape for its age.

Tasting Notes:

Fruity and peaty aroma, fresh orange juice, passion fruit, red apples, peppermint tea, wet hay and malt. Peppermint sweet taste, vanilla, walnuts, orange marmalade and malt. Medium long spicy and peaty end.

This product is located in Australia.

Distillery

Clynelish Distillery

Many distilleries have undergone name changes during the course of their history which can lead to confusion and that is all the more so when you get two distilleries swapping names, as is the case with Clynelish and Brora. To get the early history of Clynelish please look at the entry for Brora under Ghost Distilleries.

The distillery in its current form dates from the 1960s. Part of the fields of Clynelish Farm, adjacent to the old distillery of that name but which reverted to Brora, were pressed into service to provide space for the new distillery for which a totally new water supply had to be found. This was essentially the old water supply for the town of Brora, for which a new source had been identified. As I said at the time of my visit in 1985, “Clynelish and Brora, standing together, reflect in a unique way the old and the new in this evergreen industry”.

As if in the wake of the Brora phenomenon, early bottles of Clynelish  are also becoming collectors’ items and may soon have investment status.

Other Clynelish Whiskies