Clynelish is now highly regarded as a single malt, famous for its waxy texture, oily mouthfeel and subtle fruit/floral character. Yet there is only one consistent official bottling, the signature 14 year old, supported by special releases from time to time. Historically, Clynelish is far more used as a workhorse of the Scotch whisky blending industry.
In fact, demand for its whisky became so important that a second distillery was built right next door.
Clynelish 2
The original Clynelish distillery was established in 1819 and operated for more than 150 years. As demand for Scotch whisky grew, particularly from the blending industry, Diageo's predecessor company decided that more production capacity was needed.
In 1968, a new distillery was built almost immediately beside the original. It was initially known simply as Clynelish 2, while the original distillery continued producing whisky.
The new distillery eventually became the Clynelish we know today. The original distillery was renamed Brora in the 1970s and continued producing whisky until it closed in 1983.
The Johnnie Walker connection
Today, Clynelish is particularly associated with Johnnie Walker. Diageo itself identifies Clynelish as one of the four "corner" malts of Johnnie Walker, alongside Cardhu, Glenkinchie and Caol Ila. These malts provide different regional characteristics that are important to the flavour profile of Johnnie Walker.
Clynelish's combination of waxiness, oiliness and fruit character makes it particularly useful to a blender. Rather than dominating a whisky, it can provide texture, weight and complexity that help tie other whiskies together.
And this helps explain why the distillery needed so much capacity in the first place. Clynelish was producing spirit for a much larger Scotch whisky ecosystem — with a significant proportion destined for blends rather than bottles carrying the Clynelish name.
From blend ingredient to cult single malt
The irony is that Clynelish's reputation has changed dramatically.
The whisky that was once primarily valued by blenders has become highly sought after by single malt drinkers. Meanwhile, the original distillery — the one that became Brora — has acquired almost legendary status among whisky collectors. Its reopening is part of Diageo's programme to revive the historic distillery and recreate its distinctive style of whisky.
So when you drink Clynelish today, you're tasting more than a distinctive Highland single malt. You're tasting a whisky whose history is deeply connected to the growth of Scotch whisky blending — so much so that one Clynelish distillery wasn't enough.
And somewhere in the background of many famous Scotch blends, that unmistakable Clynelish character may still be doing exactly what it was built to do: adding texture, weight and complexity.