04/06/2026
Another newly opened bottle tonight. It's Constitution Day here Friday the 5th, so having the day off seemed like a perfectly good excuse.
The first thing that hits me on the nose is that funky Clynelish 2000 character I've come across in other bottlings from that year. Wet dog, cardboard, and a strange oily note on the nose...
Time — it needs time (hopefully).
One hour later: it's settled down a bit. Some fruit has started to emerge along with what can only be described as the aroma of freshly pressed olive oil, fresh oak, and a sourness that I'm not particularly fond of.
The palate is still quite bitter — mostly wood, and what I imagine wet leaves would taste like. There's some overripe fruit too, and I mean really overripe, not in a good way.
Waaater!
The nose opens up and more fruit starts to appear. The oiliness (cooking oil / olive oil) also becomes more prominent. There's now a little honey showing up as well — the only classic Clynelish note I've found with any certainty.
The palate is now slightly metallic, with more sour wood, some fruit, and what I imagine acid-free workshop oil would taste like. The finish is medium in length, but it's mostly bitter wood.
OK, no more 2000-vintage Clynelish for me without tasting it first. The ones I've tried so far have all been well below par.
I can only guess that quite a few of these 2000 Clynelish bottlings have been sold on the strength of the name alone — because the quality certainly isn't there, in my opinion.
I'll give this bottle some more time and another chance, but right now it's a strong candidate for a swap!
Not all that glitters is gold!
