Clynelish 12 Year Old Special Release 2022 The Wildcats Golden Gaze

Part of the Special Releases from Diageo, this is the 2022 bottling Clynelish 12 Year Old ‘The Wildcats Golden Gaze’. Legend has it, Clynelish was once lashed by an epic blizzard. The storm’s chill put precious casks at risk of ruin until a mysterious feline creature silently appeared. Located in the bramble-filled woods of the Highlands, Clynelish is a distillery even more remote than most. It is also the natural habitat to the elusive Scottish wildcat.
For this release, Clynelish moves away from the distillery's classic waxy profile in favour of the rich, spicy, and darkly delicious world of sherry cask maturation. It was double matured in Pedro Ximenéz and Oloroso sherry casks and bottled at cask strength.

    Nose:    Creamy top notes soon give way to light yet complex fruity and herbal aromas; subtle, understated suggestions of fruity mincemeat, tinned pears, even heather honey. Deeper still, spicy scents of oak preview a soaring intensity on the palate.

    Taste:    A very smooth, mouth-filling texture introduces a lively taste that is rich and wine-sweet overall, the palate well-balanced by snarling peppery, oaky spice.

    Finish:    Quite long, chili-spiced, and appetisingly drying, with lingering pepper.