Thompson Bros Highland Single Malt 49yo (1976) Cask #SR26050 & Thompson Bros Clynelish 25yo (2001) A Sutherland Dram Cask #215

Thompson Bros Highland Single Malt 49yo (1976) Cask #SR26050

Region: Highlands

ABV: 45.1%

Price: £595.00

Distilled on the 7th December 1976, and matured in a hogshead, it was bottled after 49 years by Thompson Bros for the Dornoch Castle. Outturn of 140 bottles.

Nose

The nose opens with honey drizzled over apple slices, a little marzipan, lemon balm, light toffee and brown sugar aromas. It’s soft and gentle, some of the fruity Tomatin spirit shining through but it’s a fair amount of sweet vanilla cask influence layered on top. You can definitely tell it’s old, perhaps not 49 years but definitely above 30. Going back, we’re finding a little buttercream, pear drops, and even a little desiccated coconut. Not really any alcohol spice, but there enough body here to make it feel expressive on the nose. 

Palate

The palate opens with much more citrus, lots of lemon and orange oils, some peach juice, fizzy sherbet and a lingering sour apple note on the finish. A bit of a fruit bomb here, some watermelon also begin to appear after it sits on the tongue. The mouthfeel is very good for a dram of this age, the oiliness really carries through, and there’s the mildest of gingery spice here too. There’s a touch of astringency on the finish, we’re finding ourselves puckering our cheeks and chewing on the dram after we’ve swallowed. There’s even a hint of underripe strawberry beginning to appear - it’s a dram that keeps developing over time. Much more spirit forward on the palate, but there’s still some marzipan and vanilla flavours in the background. 

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose feels a little fruitier, but there’s still some deeper cask aromas to be found. It’s still very orchard fruit forward, with some honey and fudge, not too much has changed. 

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate loses a tiny bit of texture, but continues with the blast of citrus oils and fresh orchard fruits. It’s still very good, but we can’t help think that you’d be crazy to add water to this - it really doesn’t need it. 

Conclusion

It’s amazing after 49 years that this has kept such a structure and fruitiness, without being overpowered by cask influence. It’s also maintained a wonderful texture and length, not something we always find with these older whiskies. We can’t help but give this at least an 8.5/10. 

Score: 8.5/10

Value

Yes, it’s a lot of money, but it’s also very good value for a whisky of this age, if you can afford it.

Thompson Bros Clynelish 25yo (2001) A Sutherland Dram Cask #215

Region: Highlands

ABV: 49.4%

Price: £265.00

Distilled in 2001 and bottled in 2026 after 25 years of maturation in a refill hogshead, this Thompson Bros Clynelish was released under the “A Sutherland Dram”, with an outturn of 130 bottles.

Nose

The nose opens with rich toffee, malt loaf, wax seals, cocoa nibs, highland toffee and vanilla custard. It’s the sort of nose that jumps right out of the glass, thick, oily, and really really pleasant. There’s a slight coastal salinity to this as we go back, salted caramel perhaps, and we’re finding more of a soft, slightly mushy fruit character coming through with air. There’s a little white pepper in here too but it’s barely noticeable, the alcohol is wonderfully integrated. 

Palate

The palate opens with lots of upfront citrus, a mixture of lemons, limes, oranges and a little kumquat too. There’s thick vanilla syrup, candied ginger, apple slices, melon balls and salted caramel following, with an oily and viscous mouthfeel. There’s a touch of spice here, more chili in nature, but it’s enhancing the experience more than taking away from it. There’s also some white chocolate coins and almond paste as we go back for another sip. The finish is long, more cocoa in nature, with a bit more toffee and malt lingering. 

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose feels a bit like a muted version of itself, all of the same aromas are present, but they’re just a bit duller - it feels like it’s lost some of its character. There’s a little more biscuitiness coming through, and it feels a little drier than before. 

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate feels waxier interestingly, thicker, more coconut, simple white sugars and lemon zest. Again, we don’t think the water has added much, and has mostly taken away some of the character we enjoyed previously. 

Conclusion

We’re a sucker for older Clynelish, and this hits the spot. It’s oily, waxy, textured with a wonderful mix of sweeter cask flavours, a little saline, and host of citrus and orchard fruits all melding together wonderfully. An easy 8.5, maybe even 9, but there’s a bit too much heat in places for us to go that far. 

Score: 8.5/10

Value

Yes, it pricey, but it’s also 25 year old Clynelish.

• 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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