Clynelish
To understand Clynelish, you first have to talk about its famous sister distillery, Brora: founded in 1819, a second, more modern distillery was built on the same site in 1967. Because demand for heavily peated malt was high at the time, both plants initially operated in parallel – as "Clynelish A" (the old one) and "Clynelish B" (the new one). Eventually, the new plant officially took the name Clynelish, while the old one was renamed "Brora".
Brora continued producing its uniquely powerful malt until its closure in 1983 – and was genuinely revived in 2021 as part of a £30 million investment by Diageo. With Clynelish 14 Year Old, you will find the core bottling of the "new" distillery in our selection, known for its characteristically waxy, oily malt.
Content: 0.7 Liter (€65.70 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
Content: 0.04 Liter (€174.75 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€248.56 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€214.14 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€1,145.70 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
CODE: BLACK25
Content: 0.7 Liter (€714.27 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€1,312.84 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€354.27 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€9,267.13 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€1,145.70 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€5,187.13 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€991.41 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€114.14 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
Why is Clynelish's naming history so confusing?
In 1819, George Granville Levison-Gower, Marquess of Stafford, had the first Clynelish distillery built in Brora in the northern Highlands. In 1967, a second, modern plant by Scottish Malt Distillers was built right next to it. For a time, both distilleries ran in parallel, until the new plant was finally given the official name Clynelish, while the original distillery was renamed "Brora". So when we speak of "Clynelish" today, we generally mean the plant built in 1967 – unless the whisky was distilled before that date.
What happened to the mothballed Brora distillery?
Brora continued producing under its own name until it closed for good in 1983, becoming a celebrated "ghost distillery" among collectors. In 2017, Diageo approved a roughly £30 million, three-year restoration, preserving many original buildings and even reusing the original two stills, which had been sent away for repair. In May 2021, Brora celebrated its reopening after 38 years of silence.
What defines the Clynelish style?
Clynelish is known for its bold, lightly smoky malt with a pronounced waxy texture and maritime spice – shaped by barley from the northern Highlands and water from the Clynemilton Burn. Since 1987, the distillery has belonged to United Distillers, and thus to Diageo since 1998; since 2005 it has been part of the expanded Classic Malts Selection.
The most popular bottling at a glance
1. Clynelish 14 Year Old
The distillery's official core bottling.
Taste: Waxy and oily with salty sea air and subtle smoke.
Serving suggestion: An excellent introduction to Clynelish's unique style.
Facts and figures
Address: Brora, Sutherland. Current distillery founded: 1967. Original distillery (Brora): 1819. Owner: Diageo. Sister distillery Brora: reopened 2021.