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 11-year-old Bruichladdich matured in Rioja wine casks and  bottled at 57.2% ABV

Nose: raspberry tartelette, summer berries and buttery orange blossom-flavoured brioche strike first. The golden-pinkish hue of this nectar was already very appealing to me (needless to mention I’m a Bruichladdich fangirl like many of you around here…) but this leathery fruity and gourmet nose is just as exquisite as I had imagined. After a few minutes sitting in the glass, some notes of cinnamon bark, bitter dark chocolate and a somehow earthy feeling come bring a punchy Bruichladdich-like twist to this sweet moment.

Palate: Complex enough. The sweet spices I picked up in the nose have now turned way hotter on the palate and have found the yummy company of oven-cooked fruit pudding, toasted rye bread, wood tannins and some citrusy notes in the very background. With a few drops of water, I’ve got something much sweeter but still showing a large array of spices, driftwood and something of a Chesterfield-sofa-fuelled atmosphere. This is just the kind of dram I’d like to enjoy on my own as a solitary liquid pleasure in a wooden bothy…

Finish: Lingering with wood spices, cloves and all it takes to make you crave for more.

Pssst! Find the Recipe Here!