This week of reviews of malts from Highlands distilleries has gone really well so far. I started with a 9 yo Ben Nevis on Monday. That was a single bourbon hogshead. I continued on Wednesday with a 10 yo Edradour. That was a single oloroso sherry cask. Let’s close out the week now with the oldest of the three, an 11 yo Clynelish. We’re back to bourbon maturation for this one, albeit in a barrel rather than a hogshead. I am hoping for good things—and trying not to think of the fact that I was not very impressed by the last bourbon barrel Clynelish I reviewed, especially since, like this one, that was also bottled by Single Malts of Scotland (though that one was a vatting of three barrels, not a single barrel). On the other hand, I really liked the one before that—coincidentally also an 11 yo—which I reviewed at the end of another week of Highlands reviews, almost exactly a year ago. Let’s see where this one falls.

Clynelish 11, 2011 (55.8%; Single Malts of Scotland; bourbon barrel; from a bottle split)

Nose: Toasted oak, malt, apples, pears. Gets sweeter as it sits with a mix of lemon and honey. Some apple pie with time. A few drops of water push the oak back and pull out more malt and some apple juice and brown butter; a bit of wood glue too now.

Palate: Comes in as promised by the nose, with a leafy note following the rest. Very approachable at full strength; rich texture. On the second sip there’s some waxed lemon peel and a little more oak. The lemon peel expands as it sits and the melon from the finish emerges earlier. Baked apple in there as well with time. Water pushes the oak back and brings out better balance; the fruit is a little muskier now (a mix of apple juice and melon).

Finish: Long. The oak expands first and then so does the fruit, picking up some muskier notes of melon.

Comments: A lovely bourbon cask Clynelish. A little too much oak influence at first but air and water fix that nicely. Fruit, malt and oak: quintessential northern highlands whisky (you could tell me this was a Glen Ord and I’d believe you).

Rating: 88 points.