Cley Whisky: a duel between smoke and sweetness
Shame on me, but as an old-school single malt Scotch whisky lover, I have long neglected all else there is in the world. Even though my focus and pleasure remains primarily focused on the products coming from Scotland, I do try and slip in something worldly every now and then. Today I picked a sample from a distillery in my home country, which is The Netherlands. Cley Distillery is a micro-distillery wedged in between the city of Rotterdam and the Rotterdam The Hague Airport. (We will be checking for kerosine notes here!) Paul den Bulk and Maria Neves create whisky here, but they also produce gin. The Scots have the name, but the Dutch have a firm hand in distilling heritage as well, and this is what pushed Paul and Maria to start creating tasty output when they started production in 2015. The basic take on their whisky is maturation in bourbon casks for at least 3 years, and then a 6 months finish in whatever cask is nearby. Today we taste one on these expressions.
Cley 4 years old, bottled at 52,2 % abv
First things first: This is a bottling for Cask Friends, a 4 years old Cley that was finished on a 10 litres PX-cask. The cask number was # 28 and only 18 bottles of 500 ml were made. Talk about your small batch here! We love the design of the Cley label in general. From Whiskybase, I understand that the first three years of maturation were spent in a former Ledaig barrel.
Upon Sipping: Ah yes, there is indeed an ashy smell upon first sniff, but it mingles very nicely with the strong PX influence. Some smouldering fire wood from the pit is present, and then it slides out of focus again when a new PX characteristic fights for a second in the spotlight. Some dry barley in the background, hints of cigarettes and something else burning. A very complex nose that will keep you entertained for a long time. But we will take a sip now! Well, here it is mostly the PX that paints the picture, with a nice soft layer on the tongue. When we go to the finish, there is a very dry hint of soft wood, that has seen some flames licking in a fire. Bitter chocolate notes. The smoky note is something that seems truly unique for European whisky. I have spotted it in German, Danish and other Dutch expressions, but not so much the Scottish ones. The sweetness of the PX reveals this was an excellent cask. Next time, I will look for a more pure expression of Cley, if they have a plain bourbon example anyway. Would love to see what the basic character is about.
Word to the Wise: Micro-distilling should always provide something out of the ordinary, and this Cley underlines that principle perfectly. Loads and loads of authentic, singular character, that I would like to explore more. The distillery seems to be in the heart of many Dutch enthusiasts, and I can clearly see why.
Score: 83 points.