Signatory Vintage Imperial 1995 casks #50204 and #50205 & Clynelish 1995 23 Year Old Signatory Cask Strength Collection Cask #11227

Signatory Vintage Imperial 1995 casks #50204 and #50205

Region: Speyside

ABV: 46.0%

Price: £250.00 (Auction)

Distilled on 18th September 1995 and bottled on 16th July 2015 by Signatory Vintage for their Un-Chillfiltered Collection, this whisky was matured in hogsheads #50204 and #50205. No details on the number of bottles released are provided.

Nose

The nose is fruity, reminiscent of tutti frutti and fruit salad sweets, reminding us of an unpeated Glen Scotia minus the Campbeltown funk. Notes of melon and icing sugar are present, along with a slight woody aroma and s’mores. Additional scents of candy floss, marmalade, and strawberries appear as we sit with it. There is little or no alcohol spice or heat detectable.

Palate

The palate mirrors the nose in a lot of notes, but also features notes of caramel sauce, lemon iced tea, and vanilla ice cream. There's a slight spice present, reminiscent of black pepper, which adds a gentle warmth. The mouthfeel is good, especially considering the ABV. Other notes of homemade lemonade, strawberry, and caster sugar appear as you sit with it. The finish is medium in length, maintaining a pleasing amount of sweetness throughout.

Nose (with water)

Adding water to the nose brings forward more wood and leather notes, changing the profile significantly. The fruity dimension is now dominated by lemon and lime cordial, with hints of dough and toast emerging. We’re struggling to pick out as many notes as we did pre dilution.

Palate (with water)

Adding water to the palate introduces a touch of bitterness from dark chocolate orange, yet the mouthfeel remains pleasing with a creamy texture. The finish is medium, with sweetness still present. Flavours of grapefruit and sugar syrup are detectable, but similar to the changes in the nose, the palate becomes more one-dimensional with the addition of water, losing some of its previous complexity.

Conclusion

This is easy to drink, and without water, it presents a fruity and relatively complex dram. Even at 46% ABV, it holds up well compared to some cask strength releases we've tried. However, a few nitpicks like the medium length finish do drag it down slightly.

Score: 7.5/10

Value

It's expensive, but considering it comes from a closed distillery, the value is subjective and really up to each individual to decide if they think it's worth the asking price.

Clynelish 1995 23 Year Old Signatory Cask Strength Collection Cask #11227

Region: Highlands

ABV: 56.3%

Price: £175.00

Cask #11227 was distilled 21st November 1995, and matured for 23 years in a refill Sherry butt before it was bottled 10th October 2019. 623 bottles were released.

Nose

On the nose, this whisky shows aromas of cherry jam and strawberry compote. There's an underlying mustiness reminiscent of warehouse funk, alongside warm plastic, peaches, and dry wood. A slight alcohol spice manifests as black pepper. As the whisky opens up to the air, it reveals additional notes of toffee apple, gingerbread, chocolate buttons, fudge, candle wax, and raisins.

Palate

On the palate, this whisky mirrors many of the notes from the nose but with an extra spice kick, most notably raw ginger and cinnamon sticks. There are pronounced notes of toffee apple and honeycomb/toffee cinders, along with pomegranate, red apples, and reduced raisins. While the mouthfeel is reasonable, it’s missing a little something. The finish is medium length with dark chocolate and a lingering spiciness. The spirits usual waxiness isn’t overly noticeable.

Nose (with water)

Adding water to the nose enhances the sweetness, bringing forward notes of butterscotch angel delight, green melon, and apples, along with prune juice. The spice present in the undiluted whisky is noticeably reduced. Upon revisiting, additional notes of fudge, caramel, and brown sugar dominate.

Palate (with water)

Water brings out a mix of apple desserts, apple tarte tatin, stewed apples and apple crumple. The spice is in better balance now, and the mouth feel is still relatively unchanged. Notable notes include ginger, chocolate and brown sugar. The finish is less spicy and overall this has taken water well. It’s just a shame this doesn’t taste particularly like Clynelish.

Conclusion

 It’s a pleasant dram that takes water well. It’s just a touch of a let down when compared to some of the other refill Sherry casks Signatory released around the same time from this distillery.

Score: 7/10

Value

We remember thinking this was pricey at the time, and we’re even sadder now at the auction price that would put this at around £300 a bottle.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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