There is a word that comes up every time serious whisky people talk about Clynelish: waxy. It sounds clinical, but in the glass it means something close to silky, creamy, mouth-coating — a texture unlike almost any other Scotch whisky. Alongside that wax: honey sweetness, coastal salt, pear-like fruit, spice. All present simultaneously, none dominating. This is why malt enthusiasts return to Clynelish 14 again and again.
A Distillery Guarded by a Wildcat
Look at the bottle label and you’ll find a cat — not a domestic one. The Scottish Wildcat, also called the Highland Tiger, is one of Britain’s most endangered mammals: fewer than 35 individuals survive in the wild, their pure bloodline increasingly diluted by interbreeding with domestic cats.
Clynelish Distillery was founded in 1819 by the Duke of Sutherland, whose family crest featured the wildcat as a secondary emblem. The wildcat symbolised the untamed, ungovernable spirit of the Highland landscape — and that spirit, it turns out, perfectly describes Clynelish whisky. Even now, a large wildcat sign stands at the distillery entrance, as if announcing: this territory belongs to something wild.
The Secret Inside Johnnie Walker
Approximately 95% of Clynelish spirit goes directly into blends — most significantly, Johnnie Walker, where Clynelish provides the smooth, rounded richness that defines the blend’s character. The single malt that reaches bottles like Clynelish 14 represents only around 5% of total production. Rarity is inherent.
Mika’s Perspective
When I visited Clynelish, I was surprised by how quiet it was. In Japan, Clynelish has a devoted following among malt lovers — I assumed the distillery would be full of pilgrims. Instead, it was nearly empty. Almost entirely to ourselves. Meanwhile, a nearby distillery was packed with tourists who barely knew the name of what they were visiting. Every country has its own whisky culture, and sometimes the most loved bottles in one corner of the world are completely unknown everywhere else.
My suggestion at Bar Little Happiness: Clynelish 14 straight, paired with a piece of butterscotch chocolate. Nose it first — the honey is immediate. Then taste slowly. The waxy texture is unmistakable. It’s not dramatic. It’s deep.
Read the original Japanese column: https://little-happiness.jp/columns/clynelish-14/
Bar Little Happiness | Hiroshima, Japan
Rum & Whisky specialists | 1,000+ bottles | English menu available
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