Clynelish 1995/2024 Symingtons Choice 28 Year Signatory Single Highland Malt Whisky 53.5%

Andrew Symington has spent almost four decades picking casks for other people. Symingtons Choice is the range where he picks for himself — and he started with a sherry butt from 1995.

Expert description

Clynelish 1995/2024 Symingtons Choice 28 years is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in an oloroso sherry butt and bottled at cask strength of 53.5%.

The cask is numbered 11250, was filled on 21 November 1995 and emptied on 29 April 2024. It gave 447 bottles. The Symingtons Choice range is named after Signatory founder Andrew Symington, who entered the Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame in 2021. Leaving Clynelish for 28 years in oloroso is a bold call — the distillery's waxy core can easily be buried in sherry, but here the two hold each other in check.

Tasting notes

Nose

Deep and dark. Raisin, fig and toffee first, then orange peel, walnut and a damp tobacco note from the old wood.

Palate

Full and oily. Dried fruit, dark chocolate, candied ginger and a layer of cocoa. Beneath the sherry, Clynelish still pulls with its waxy texture and a trace of salt.

Finish

Very long and warm, with fig, nuts, dark cocoa and a dry spiced close that keeps going.

Specifications

Name: Clynelish 1995/2024 Symingtons Choice 28 years Signatory Single Highland Malt Whisky 53.5%
Distillery: Clynelish
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Region/Country: Highlands Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 28 years
ABV: 53.5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Oloroso sherry butt no. 11250
Distilled: 21/11/1995
Bottled: 29/04/2024
Number of bottles: 447
Edition: Symingtons Choice

Flavour profile

Sherried · Dried Fruit · Full-bodied · Spiced · Cask Strength

Investment potential

High. Twenty-eight years in one cask, 447 bottles and a range carrying the founder's own name. Old sherried Clynelish is scarce, and demand for the distillery has climbed steadily since Brora reopened.

Did you know?

Signatory bought Edradour in 2002 — then Scotland's smallest distillery, where three men could run the whole production. Andrew Symington went from bottler to distiller without giving up either role.

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Frequently asked questions about Clynelish 1995/2024 Symingtons Choice 28 years

What is Symingtons Choice?

Signatory's range of hand-picked casks, named after the founder Andrew Symington. The casks are chosen personally and bottled at cask strength, and the range is conceived as a collection of the casks he would have kept himself.

Is it worth seeking out?

Twenty-eight years in a single oloroso cask gives a depth that cannot be rushed, and the outturn is 447 bottles. The distillery's reputation, the age and the nature of the range together make it a bottle that rarely lingers.

Does the sherry overwhelm the Clynelish?

No, and that is the interesting part. The waxy, faintly saline core still shows through the dried fruit. The cask has been active enough to give colour and body without erasing the distillery.

How should it be served?

Neat in a tulip glass, ideally after ten minutes of rest. At 53.5% it can take a couple of drops of water, but move carefully, because the oldest notes are also the most fragile.

What is a sherry butt?

The largest common cask in Scotch whisky, around 500 litres, previously filled with sherry. The large volume gives slow maturation, which is an advantage over almost three decades.

Does it pair with food?

Try it with high-percentage dark chocolate or a mature hard cheese. The dried fruit in the whisky meets the sweetness in the chocolate, and the richness of the cheese softens the alcohol.