Claxton’s ‘The Single Cask’ Arran 1996 (20 year old) 50.3%
Refill Bourbon Hogshead 1713 – 1214/ Dist: Sept 1996 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Apr 2017
The nose is quite dark and malty with gritty, earthy, coffee’d tannins. Polished but rugged with a subtle tropical fruit and honey background. With time hints of lime, mature barley and vanilla. Give it some time in the glass and it opens up rather well.
The palate is earthy and malty with again a rugged but polished character. Like the nose the fruit is very subtle which comes through on the middle along with a touch of milky and gritty oak. Edgy, mouth-watering finish with a lovely complexity of citrus, creamy barley, vanilla, apple blossom, hyacinth, white licourice and the returning malt. Wonderful progression and an excellent finish.
Claxton’s ‘The Single Cask’ Arran 1996 (21 year old) 52.1%
Sherry Puncheon 1843-939/ Dist Aug 1997 Btl: Jun 2018/ Tasted: Jul 2018
Aromas of high tones dried fruit and a touch of prune and raisin. Subtle notes of gritty tannin, buttery vanilla, salt, warm cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger appear. The vanillins really come to the fore with time and the expected sherry notes are really very restrained.
The palate is quite buttery with apple, apricot, earth and a suggestion of dried fruit. Again the sherry influence is very subtle but it adds some pleasant soft ginger and cinnamon notes on the middle, along with some developing salt and citrus. Long and vanilla’d with lingering spice, salt and sweet, dried sherry fruit. All round it’s very well balanced.
Whisky According to Chris Whiskyman 