Clynelish "Waxen Sun" Aged 18 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 2025 Special Release

Step into the light with Clynelish “Waxen Sun” 18 Year Old, the radiant 2025 Special Release that recasts the Northern Highlands distillery’s famed wax-soaked spirit through a tropical lens. Matured for eighteen years in refill oak casks and bottled at about 51.6% ABV, this edition introduces a unique “Pineapple Cut” during distillation that captures bright, fruit-ester notes often hidden in the usual profile.

The nose opens with lychee, mangosteen, pineapple, and melon layered over chalky mineral dust and a whisper of sea breeze. On the palate, you’ll experience the signature Clynelish waxiness — creamy texture, barley sugar, and beeswax — now joined by ripe apricot, papaya, green mango, and subtle peppery warmth. The finish lingers medium-long, with warm oak spice, a tropical fruit echo, and soft mineral dryness that reminds you of limestone and sea air.

This is Highland tradition meeting bold innovation: familiar, but lit from within.

Nose: Lychee, mangosteen, pineapple, melon, beeswax, chalk mineral.

Palate: Wax-rich malt, apricot, papaya, green mango, light oak spice.

Finish: Warm oak, tropical fruit fade, mineral dryness and subtle pepper warmth.

Serve with mango-coconut panna cotta or glazed pineapple tart to echo the tropical weave of the whisky. For savoury contrast, try soy-glazed pork belly with charred pineapple salsa — the fruit and oak interplay will sing. A gently aged Manchego or milder blue-veined cheese offers a creamy counterpoint to the waxy texture and mineral finish.