Samaroli is, of course, the famous bottler from Italy that bottled (according to many) the best whiskies ever some decades ago. I believe this was the early eighties. Since then they have only released a couple bottlings until a large batch came out in 2008. This bottle is one of those.

A few years ago he revamped his brand with a new range of bottles of which this Clynelish is one. I bought it in 2008 and it has been getting emptier and emptier every now and then until I finished it last weekend.

A cask strength, First Fill Sherry Butt matured gem of a Clynelish, that deserves a review and deserved it years ago.

Clynelish 12 by Samaroli. Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
Gentle sherry with lots of fruit and honey. Also some furniture polish and a salty background. Creamy with mint and something slightly acidic, like passionfruit.

Sip:
The palate is a bit sharper than I expected after such a gentle nose, but nothing too fierce. Dry crushed peppercorns, lots of tropical fruit like peaches, peach skins, dried prunes. There’s a bit of bitter wood, sweet sugar syrup.

Swallow:
The finish burns a little but therefore it lingers quite a while. I think there’s a little hint of sulphur in there, but in a way that I absolutely love it. Fairly bitter, sweet and creamy.

This is a stunning Clynelish. For only 12 years old it tastes much more mature, and the cask must have been one of the best available. Actually, I don’t think I have tasted many Clynelishes that are better than this one, apart from a couple from the early seventies (Old Malt Cask, Prestonfield, Berry’s).

Clynelish 1995 – 08-2008, 57%, Samaroli Coilltean, it used to cost a litte under € 100, but is long gone now.