2 Wemyss Scotch Whiskey Reviews: Clynelish & Benrinnes 22 Year Old

Benrinnes 1997 Wemyss 22 Year / 56.9% / £127

Tasted neat, then with a bit of bottled water

Only 147 bottles were produced of this 22 year old Benrinnes, distilled in 1997 and bottled in 2020.

“Sultana Barley Bread” has bottle notes of “A malty and sultana like BARREL reminiscent of Scottish Selkirk Bannock bread.” I am assuming this is probably a refill ex-bourbon barrel.

• Color: burnished (1.1)
• Nose: alcohol, baked bread, limes; vinegar, poppyseed
• Taste: pineapple, toast, lemonade; rich oakiness and honey
• Finish: initial cardboard fades into long, sweet icing

A bit disappointing on the nose, but this Benrinnes comes through with a tasty, fruity, malt. There’s a bit of sourness to the palate, and a bit of cardboard on the finish that prevents it from being a knock-out.

Rating: 84/100

Clynelish 1997 Wemyss 22 Year / 49.8% / £200

Tasted neat, then with a bit of bottled water

A 1997 hogshead of Clynelish yielded 236 bottles of this 22 year old, “Tropical Scented Candle.” The bottle tasting notes read “A gentle and waxy HOGSHEAD with mouth-watering tropical fruit flavours.”

• Color: amontillado sherry (0.9)
• Nose: dragonfruit, kiwi, lemon; dunnage warehouse, candlewax, christmas spice
• Taste: waxy oily mouthfeel, lemon cake; sourdough bread and banana cream
• Finish: medium, fruit salad, oak, and vanilla

This is a really typical, classic Clynelish, with a lot of fruitiness and waxiness; very clean, it could benefit from a little more age, but also the ABV is quite low for 22 years, so it probably couldn’t hold out any longer.

Rating: 89/100