Review 289. A not so secret Clynelish

Claxton’s Secret Highland 12 yo (Clynelish) for The Whisky Mercenary

It’s not been that long since I reviewed an indie Clynelish. And it’s also not been that long since I reviewed a bottling by Belgian distributor/bottler The Whisky Mercenary.

In fact, this was the 2^nd sample Jürgen gifted me when I bought a number of other bottles from him earlier that year. So, yes, in a way this is a freebie, or at least a little extra on top of another purchase. Just so we’re clear.

Seeing how I only recently focused on both Clynelish and The Whisky mercenary, I won’t elaborate on both for too long so as not to repeat myself too much. What I will say, though, is that in this day and age, when it comes to malt whisky, it’s still a bit baffling to see the discrepancy between where indie bottlers tend to take things compared to what  some official releases tend to offer. Allow me to elaborate. Clynelish 14 (side note: it’s remarkable how just the one expression pretty much IS the entire official core range of this distillery) used to be a ‘supermarket’ brand. In the sense that in my neck of the woods, you would be able to find it in a lot of supermarkets. Used to being the important bit here. For years, it used to be around €40-€45, and at that time – I’m talking 10 - 15 or so years ago, it definitely  was one of the more high end bottles you could buy in Belgian supermarkets. It may seem like ancient history these day, but there was a time where a lot of the ubiquitous single malts – Glenfiddich 12, Glenlivet 12, Glen Grant 10, Balvenie 12 Double Wood, Laphroaig 10, Caol Ila 12, Talisker 10, Highland Park 12 and, yes, even Dalmore 12, would be sitting in that €20 - €35 price range. Usually, only 2 or 3 other brands would be a smidge more expensive: Ardbeg 10, Lagavulin 16 and indeed Clynelish 14.

When, in a blaze of nostalgic naivety (or naïve nostalgia, I’ll let you be the judge), I stroll through the supermarket aisles, I often can’t help it but to catch myself slowing down my otherwise quite steadfast pace (as I’m usually honed in on grabbing from the shelves what’s on my shopping list,  and only that) when reaching the liquor section. I don’t know what exactly  it is I expect (or hope) to find there (a dusty yesteryear Benromach? A super deal on an Ardbeg 10? An overlooked and reasonably priced Oban 14?) as usually it’s just shelves filled with artificially tanned, overpriced, bottled mediocrity. Unlike supermarkets in the UK, I’ve come to learn that Belgian supermarkets seldom have clearance sales on all things boozy.  Sure, you ‘ll have the occasional discounts where, if you’re lucky, they ‘ll shave a fiver or so off a selection of bottles, but that’s about it. The other thing I noticed is how the selection has changed in recent years. Whereas some absolute ‘standard’ stuff ‘(and I don’t mean this in a derogatory  way) will always be available (the Glenfiddichs  of this world), other brands have simply vanished from supermarket shelves. One of these being the Clynelish 14. Now it could of course be that is disappeared because it wasn’t seeing enough in terms of purchases, but I’ll argue that it also has something to do with its pricing. Obviously, everything has become more expensive in the past 5 – 6 years. Or at least noticeably more expansive, post pandemic. That €23-ish 12 yo Glefiddich from 10- 15 years ago will now likely be closer to €35- €40. And it is my theory that this €40-ish price bracket is about the upper limit of what the average supermarket customer is willing to pay for a bottle of single malt whisky. And seeing how a bottle of Clynelish 14 these days tends to be around €55- €65, it is probably deemed way too expensive. And of course this applies to just about any brand, and explains why I can’t find Lagavulin 16 or Balvenie 12 double wood anymore these days (barring a few exceptions - case in point: Glenlivet 18 yo, which tends to be sold at around €70-€80 in Belgian supermarkets. It is my belief that the higher age statement here subconsciously justifies a somewhat higher price tag for the average supermarket customer).

What has all this to do with todays review? Absolutely nothing. So let’s move on…

Claxton’s Secret Highland (Clynelish) 14 yo for The Whisky Mercenary. Oloroso Quarter Cask matured. 2026 release. 57.4% ABV. 157 bottles available, App. €110-€120

Nose

Oily and waxy. Deep and rich. Dark fruit & dark honey. A hint of ginger and quite ‘malty’ – grainy/bready/barley sugar. Overall not sweet, but, probably due to the cask influence, more leaning to a soft and pleasant bitterness and sourness. A drop of water dials everything up.

Palate

Dense, full and rich arrival. Leathery texture, making for a dense, full, mouthfeel. Again notes of dark fruit and stewed fruit. With added water  it becomes somewhat more ‘crisp’, with an accent of gentle bitterness of treacle and oak and a hint of salinity.

Finish

Warming, spicy, slightly drying with again that woody echo which lingers on.

Final thoughts

Even with a somewhat impeded palate and nose due to a cold this one had a lot to offer. It’s similar and somewhat recognizable to the Clynelish rom the Thompson Brothers I reviewed recently, so in that way at least there seems to be an ‘overlap’ in terms of style and flavour. Above all, this is quite a powerhouse. Not in the sense of this being a sherrybomb, which, imo, this isn’t. Neither is it a ‘wood bomb’, although it’s probably closer to that than it is to being a sherry bomb. But what it most defintely is, is a powerhouse: bold, rich and outspoken. Clynelish ‘purists’ might find this one lacking in the waxy department a bit (it’s there, but not as a main characteristic), but frankly I wasn’t looking for that when trying this whisky and seeing how it brings a lot of different, other things to the table, I for one really enjoyed this one.