In the early years of Scotland’s ancient and most world-renowned industry, many merchants bought single casks of whisky and bottled them as they were, preserving their unique character and flavour. As a family-owned, independent company bound to no single distiller, Claxton’s proudly continue this ancient tradition by hand-selecting individual casks that reach only the highest benchmark.

The marriage of wood and spirit in a cask creates a unique flavour and aroma. As each release of Claxton’s is bottled straight from a single cask, this individuality is preserved and no two bottlings are ever completely alike. This means each release offers the opportunity to discover rare whiskies with exquisite and truly individual tastes which may never be repeated in quite the same way again.

At Claxton’s, the approach of bottling whiskies in their most original form is born from generations of exploration and appreciation of ‘Uisge Beatha’ (the traditional Gaelic term for whisky, meaning water of life). Not a single precious drop has been chill-filtered or has any added colouring, preserving the original flavour of the whisky. Every release is bottled only once the balance of flavour between wood and spirit is perfect, no matter how long this may take. Claxton’s value quality of taste and aroma above all else, and so do I!

This expression is a 19-year-old Glenrothes matured in a sherry butt and bottled at 53.7% ABV

 

Nose: deliciously sherried and well balanced with sweet spices, ripe bananas, caramel fudges, buttery vanilla and dates. This nose shows a whole pleasant Christmassy feeling boasting some aromas of Christmas pudding, molasses, tonka beans & mocacchino :p (hence why I decided to wait until now to post this review – not that I’m running late in my review schedule at all… Nooooooo!)

Palate: Of course, the sherry influence is still strong on the palate with masses of dried fruits, plums, cooked peaches, brown sugar, treacle and a handful of nuts. There’s a certain rancio dryness appearing as well, most probably coming from the maturation. Also some peppery notes and wood spices.

Overall, I really enjoy the chewiness (is that a word?) of this dram and its automnal/wintery appeal, just the kind of flavour profile I’m seeking in my whisky at this time of the year!

Finish: the aftermath is gourmet with roasted pecan nuts, white pepper and believe it or not… Chocolate/banana muffins (or is it just me trying to convince myself?).

Pssst! Find the recipe here!