Auchentoshan 26 Years Old 1991 Cask #1835-2918 (Claxton’s)

Bottled by Claxton's as a 26 year old single cask release drawn from cask 1835-2918 of 1991 vintage Auchentoshan, with 217 bottles distributed to the Netherlands market at cask strength of 54.1%. Claxton's is a family run independent bottler from East Yorkshire founded by Charlie and Matthew Claxton in 2014, with releases focused on full strength single casks.

Distilled in 1991 from 100% unpeated malted barley with Loch Cochno water from the Kilpatrick Hills, the wash was fermented around 62 hours across Douglas fir and stainless steel washbacks. Auchentoshan triple distils every drop through three copper pot stills, with the intermediate and spirit stages collecting at around 81% ABV. The extra copper contact strips sulphur compounds and fusel oils while concentrating light esters such as ethyl hexanoate and isoamyl acetate, leaving a clean spirit base filled into a single Oloroso sherry cask.

Twenty six years in European oak Oloroso conditions drove deep sherry character into the lighter triple distilled base. Ellagitannins and gallic acid from the European oak build dried walnut and grip, while oxidative aldehydes including acetaldehyde and syringaldehyde develop nutty, leathery rancio. Fermentation derived sotolon adds dried fig and curry leaf, and slow concentration of glycerol contributes body, integrating with the spirit's underlying citrus and almond core.