Clynelish The Jazz Crescendo 10 Year Old Scotch Whisky Special Release 2023
Clynelish The Jazz Crescendo 10 Year Old Scotch Whisky Special Release 2023 is Diageo's 2023 Special Release from the Sutherland-coast distillery — a 10-year-old Highland single malt matured exclusively in first-fill ex-bourbon American oak casks and bottled at its natural cask strength of 57.5% ABV. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 57.5% (115 proof) — natural cask strength
- Size: 750mL
- Age: 10 years
- Maturation: exclusively first-fill ex-bourbon American oak casks
- Origin: Clynelish Distillery, Brora, Sutherland coast, Highlands, Scotland
- Release: Diageo Special Releases 2023 — "Spirited Xchange," limited edition
- Score: 90 points, Whisky Advocate
Clynelish, Unadorned
Master blender Stuart Morrison made a deliberate choice with this one: no elaborate cask recipe, no wine finishes — just Clynelish being Clynelish. The distillery's signature is its waxy texture, a product of wax esters from the Lomond wash stills, and a decade in first-fill bourbon oak lets that character sing against honeyed malt and citrus. The wildcat on the label and the jazz name nod to the sweet, soulful richness the malt master heard in the casks.
Tasting Notes
Waxy and textbook: white grapes, unripe banana, zesty lemon, vanilla sweets, and a whiff of sea breeze on the nose; the palate turns honeyed and fruity — almost tropical — with peppery spice, walnuts, and a pinch of salt. Long, spicy finish with wax, pink grapefruit, and vanilla.
How to Enjoy
A drop of water is not optional here — at 57.5% it opens the wax and fruit dramatically. Sip it next to the standard 14-year-old to taste what a decade of first-fill oak and cask strength do to this Scotch whisky.
Frequently Asked Questions
What gives Clynelish its waxy character?
Natural wax esters produced during distillation in the distillery's Lomond wash stills — a signature of the house style.
What are Diageo's Special Releases?
An annual limited-edition collection of rare single malts from Diageo's distilleries, each bottled at natural cask strength — the 2023 collection was titled "Spirited Xchange."
Is Clynelish a peated whisky?
No — Clynelish is unpeated; the original neighboring distillery, Brora, made the peated spirit.
Pick up Clynelish The Jazz Crescendo online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA — cask-strength Highland wax at its purest.