18 Year Old (700 ml) (F26 Special Releases 2025)

Clynelish distillery sits on the North Sea coast near Brora in Sutherland, East Highlands, where salt-laden air and peaty moorland define the terroir. The 18-year-old expression matures exclusively in ex-bourbon casks, allowing the spirit's maritime character to develop without heavy oak overlay.

The distillery's copper stills and worm condensers produce a spirit with distinctive waxy, oily texture. 18 years in refill and first-fill ex-bourbon wood builds layered complexity: the cask contributes vanilla and caramel structure while the spirit's inherent coastal salinity and orchard-fruit esters remain prominent.

This balance—neither cask-driven nor spirit-dominated—is the hallmark of Clynelish's house style.

The 2025 F26 Special Releases edition represents Diageo's annual curation of aged stock. Bottled at natural color (no chill filtration standard for this age statement), the whisky carries the briny, slightly waxy character that makes Clynelish instantly recognizable among Highland malts.

Drinking window: immediate through 2035.