The back of the bottle says "A waxy and citrusy spirit you only find from the finest Highland distilleries". Rumor says this blended malt has a big Clynelish core, but I've never seen any proof. I'm just echoing that rumor.
31 years in first-fill bourbon barrels(!), also according to the back of the bottle. That should be interesting. Also non chill-filtered and with a cask strength of a meager 43.1%.
1.3 (Russet muscat)
Nose
Floral, honey but mostly a lot of chocolate. Light, buttery milk chocolate and toffee. Heaps of it! Definitely has some brine going as well.
Palate
Not overly waxy but certainly above average. A bit more bite than the 43.1% ABV would suggest! Vanilla, citrus, your standard ex-bourbon flavors.
Finish
Starts intensely with some sherry-like wine notes and transitions into wine gums and wood spice. Ends slowly by reviving some of the toffee and chocolate flavors from the nose along with some delicious lychee(!).
Oh, an excellent soft, sweet and gentle whisky. It has absolutely no tendency to be timid or boring - it carries itself very well. Nose is absolutely gorgeous, finish is complex and fun. Seems like a good result of combining the first-fill characteristics with just pure time spent in casks. I don't think many would put this above 30 years old in a blind tasting, though. I love it! I'm no Clynelish expert but from what I know, I can see where the rumors come from.
Score
91 / 100
0-50 Subpar
51-60 Drinkable
61-70 Decent
71-80 Good
81-90 Great
91-100 Fantastic
| Bottler | North Star Spirits |
|---|---|
| Bottling Range | Sirius |
| Classification | Blended Malt |
| Abv (%) | 43.1 |
| Production Year | 1988 |
| Bottling Year | 2019 |
| Age | 31 |
| Cask Type | First fill bourbon |
| Turnout | 3582 |
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