Clynelish 14 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky Review

[@calebsteingruber6906]

Clynelish 14 has been one of my staples for a few years now. It is a very intriguing malt that never gets boring, it always seems to show something different in its character...great from beginning to end. This is one you can really take your time with.

[@WhiskyRiffs]

Thanks for sharing, Caleb. I also think it's a complex expression that won't get boring and I'm looking forward to exploring it more. Cheers!

[@calebsteingruber6906]

@@WhiskyRiffs I enjoy the complexity in this one, for myself it has a nice sweetness, but not overly (honeycomb, slightly floral), it has a bit of sour, which I love, as well as some sea brine saltiness, if I remember correctly it has a slight bitterness on the tail end but not off-putting for me...definite candle wax note, from beeswax, reminds me of the candle stands at Christmas markets here in Austria. A bit of a granola note as well, and the fruit part, I think like a lemon or orange zest and I can't quite remember, perhaps unripe banana or was it pineapple (I'll have to try it again soon)....but it gets even better with some oxidation half way the bottle and lower, and it is a real shape shifter with water added. Cheers!

[@jamescostigan3721]

One of my favorites and it punches way above its $50 price (at one of my favorite shops in Massachusetts)

[@WhiskyRiffs]

Great price for a 14 year Scotch. Cheers!

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

I love this whisky. Even on the first taste. It is so coating and fruity, I just love every pour. Cheers!

[@WhiskyRiffs]

Thanks for sharing, Jon. I don’t think I’m getting as much fruit on the taste, but I’m still enjoying the complexity of this dram. Cheers!

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

@@WhiskyRiffs it's not fresh orchard fruits for me. More, soured , light orange with a bit of salt.

[@WhiskyRiffs]

@@WhiskyNeighbour Ah, yes, that matches more with my notes.

[@christinecamley]

Coating, waxy (which I like!) and deli fruits! I think this is a terrific review! I have only had this expression once and I really want to explore it more. Over the holidays guests drank my bottle! lol! That’s okay! Whisky is to be shared! Family and friends are special! Happy New Year!

[@WhiskyRiffs]

You are so very spot on with your comment, "Whisky is to be shared!" When someone tells me that they are saving their bottle of xyz whisky for a special occasion - or worse for an investment - it hurts my soul. The reason I started to drink whisky was to share special moments with friends. Some of my favorite drams had little to do with the bottle, but everything to do with the company that I kept during the consumption of it. Thank you for the compliment. Happy New Year and keep on sharing, Christine! Cheers. 🥃

[@kevinruble6858]

It was either Whisky Neighbor or Whiskey Central I heard about this one to which I'm very grateful since it now one of my favorite neat pours

[@WhiskyRiffs]

So what makes it a favorite neat pour for you, Kevin? Comparable favorites?

[@kevinruble6858]

@@WhiskyRiffs it's got a lot going on for a highland, tasting notes for me are sweet, seaside, cherry. Proof high enough to bring out the flavors. Other favorite scotches are too long to list😉

[@WhiskyRiffs]

@@kevinruble6858 Thanks for the tasting notes. I'm completely with you on the "too long to list" comment. Cheers!

[@kevinruble6858]

@@WhiskyRiffs looking at my collection and can't seem to find a comparison, it stands out by itself and I like it

[@joecieplinski9516]

I had this one for the first time in a bar in Amsterdam, recommended by the bartender. Loved it immediately. Never expected to find it in the States. But I managed to find it when I lived in New York. And my local shop here in Boulder carries it now. So I always have a bottle on hand. So different, and so delightful. Costs between $60 and $70 here.

[@WhiskyRiffs]

You had me at "a bar in Amsterdam" Joe! I had a very interesting night one time in a bar in Amsterdam… but that's for another time. ;) It is delightfully different. Thanks for the prices in Bolder. Cheers!

[@sirenbrewingco.3235]

Had a bottle several years ago but it was more straw colored. Didn’t like the neck pour but once I came back to it I really enjoyed it.

[@WhiskyRiffs]

I don’t know if I agree that the “neck pour” is a different flavor, but my first taste of a whisky is always suspect to me. And maybe there is a lack of oxygenation that is part of that first impression. Thanks for sharing, cheers!

[@MortAllachie]

This is actually one of my favorite whisky’s. Probably in my top 3.

[@DileepB]

Glad that they saved an older vintage for whisky geeks like me. Bought one this week for $60 in Boston

[@WhiskyRiffs]

Nice price! Cheers

[@DjSlay92]

I bought a small bottle of this knowing nothing about it and I love it. That's how I found this vid. Good stuff

[@WhiskyRiffs]

I'm so glad you found my channel! Cheers!

[@lindahart6049]

I live in Oregon, and searched the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) online liquor availability by city/store. The Clynelish Single Malt 14 is available in over 100 stores and is $67.95. Two blends are also available, but at fewer stores: Clynelish Select Reserve Blend/foreign bottled $599/bottle, and Got Tyrell Clynelish/blend/foreign bottled, $59.95

[@WhiskyRiffs]

Wow, thanks for all that information, Linda. Cheers!

[@mpyle27]

Ah. One of the four pillars of JW. I enjoy all four. Great video!

[@WhiskyRiffs]

Thanks for the feedback, Mark. Are you a JW drinker too? Does a JW comparison episode sound interesting?

[@mpyle27]

@@WhiskyRiffs Absolutely. Black is my go to but I have enjoyed the Green, Gold and Blue. I picked up a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Ghost and Rare Pittyvaich at the JW store in Edinburgh. I haven't cracked it open yet. May let it sit and appreciate in value. Have a good weekend. Cheers!

[@WhiskyRiffs]

@@mpyle27 Very cool. Thanks, Mark!

[@billck]

Never heard of this one. Seems like something I would enjoy. The outtakes each week are super entertaining.

[@WhiskyRiffs]

Thanks, Bill. If you're a fan of less sweet Scotch, this may be the dram for you. Cheers!

[@j.g.6601]

Clynelish 14 retails in Taiwan for about USD 44. The whisky museum in a satellite city out by the the airport sells a dozen of the rarer versions, but as you mentioned they are thousands of dollars (too much semiconductor money in these parts). Thanks for the video. Enjoying them with my a new Taiwan exclusive - Glenlivet 12 (43%) Rum and Bourbon Cask.

[@WhiskyRiffs]

I need to revisit the Glenlivet lineup again. Thanks for the reminder. Cheers!

[@ricklence3308]

Please do the review on the Johnny Walkers!

[@WhiskyRiffs]

Thanks for the vote, Rick!

[@TheWRYYYYYYY]

Now I kinda want to try this one! Sells for around 65 USD where I live.

[@WhiskyRiffs]

Let me know what you think of it, if you do get to try it. Cheers!

[@stevef6655]

You don't have to love a single malt on a first date, just be interested enough to take it out again! P. S. I have tried Clynenish 14yo. but it didn't grab my attention enough to buy another bottle, partly because I tend to gravitate towards Speyside malts nowadays, a sign of aging I suppose. P. P. S. I did visit the distillery a number of years ago.... Apart from the visitor centre, the distillery was like a factory unit. I was so disappointed that I did not stay for the tour.

[@WhiskyRiffs]

For sure. I rarely trust my first taste… which is why I have to edit down these videos. Sometimes I sit with the dram for a while. ;) That's a shame about the visitor centre and distillery. It's probably because they don't offer more than this one expression (at least not that I can find).

[@TheReal_DeanD]

This one is super super drinkable. Dangerously drinkable. Only the bigger liquor chain stores in my area have Clynelish 14 year but only a couple of bottles from years ago. No restocks as of late. They were $77. I enjoyed it very much but don't go to it often. It is my special occasion dram because I'll drink lots of it.

[@WhiskyRiffs]

I have expressions like that too, Dean. When I grab those bottles out of my cabinet, I'm always shocked at how little is left in them. 😂 Cheers!

[@Kvs-vf9nt]

I bought 2 bottles off this today for a very cheap price. And opened 1 and let me say it was a long time ago but yeah finally I did it I drank a bit too much. 🤦‍♂️ Still for 47eu a bottle I can't complain. In most shops it's almost 57eu. I love this scotch.

[@WhiskyRiffs]

That's a great buy for a 14 year old Scotch. I'd enjoy it even more at that price point. Cheers!

[@WhiskyLoversSociety]

Great review

[@ironmantran]

(( Crank up that slow blues INTRO ! )) . . . I always have a Lysh-14 for profiling, different, like Pulteney. Nice review.

[@WhiskyRiffs]

Thanks. This is growing on me. Cheers!

[@FreedsFirstTime_Whisky_Reviews]

Yummy stuff but.......80 bucks!? That's a bit hefty imo. Over here in China it's about half that, thank goodness! Great vid!

[@WhiskyRiffs]

Thanks for the pricing info in China and the compliment! For a 14 year old Scotch, it's not necessarily overpriced at $70-80. But I have other brands that would come first for that money. Cheers!

[@manfreddemmer2273]

Hey Kevin. Great Video. I Like this Whisky. Easy drinking for Low Budget. Take Care and Cheers Buddy 👍👍

[@WhiskyRiffs]

Thanks, Manfred! Cheers!

[@ThomasMetal75]

I saw it on a local store's site for $49.99. At that price for a 14 year single malt, im intrigued.

[@WhiskyRiffs]

That price is hard to beat!

[@lodgelawyer]

Haven't had the 14, but I've been dipping into a bottle of Clynelich 2010 ten year (57.4% ABV) , and while I'm sure the nose has more "bite," it shows a bit of smoke, but the citrus notes don't come through until the tasting. The sweet and deeper fruity notes come through throughout, especially evident in the finish, with the heat you describe in the 14. I'm not getting the drying effect that you describe. I picked up the bottle on curiosity at Binny's in Chicago last June, and you can be sure I didn't spend thousands on it. It's deliicious, and if I find it again, I'll be picking up two. It would have been a shame to see it dumped into a blend. Cheers.

[@WhiskyRiffs]

I see a Clynelish 10 Year Old, 2010, by Single Malts of Scotland at 58.3% ABV at The Whisky Shop SF for $130. I'm sure the tasting notes would be quite different for that expression. Thanks for sharing. Cheers!

[@toddweeks5843]

Hey Kevin, so it looked like maybe you had filmed an episode for a review before this, I know you said you filmed several for while you were away. I would be curious how you like that bottle on a fresh pallet. I know some bottles for me get outshined if I don’t start out with them.

[@WhiskyRiffs]

Hi Todd, I did record about 6 episodes in rapid succession so I could have scheduled content without interruption. None of them where so close that they'd affect the other's notes. Are you talking about the Glen Scotia 15? I'll certainly give it another tasting. Tonight was actually the first dram of whisky that I've had since early March. Italy favors wine and I'm not going to swim against the tide when excellent bottles of the fermented grape cost only €10-15. Cheers!

[@joaolcbarros]

Clynelish is the secret ingredient for Compass Box blends. John Glaser, a former JW man, does know his stuff. Regarding a JW video, go for it.

[@WhiskyRiffs]

Thanks for the Compass Box tip! It's always interesting to know what goes into them. I also appreciate the JW vote. Cheers!

[@ricklence3308]

It is available in Ohio at Giant Eagle for $74.99 .

[@WhiskyRiffs]

Well done, Ohio! I appreciate you sharing that price with us. Cheers!