Claxton’s calling – creating a solid bond when it comes to whisky

While the business started off small, bottling one cask at a time, such was the interest in its inaugural range that by 2018 Claxton’s realised it needed its own warehousing to mature its spirit.

Jack toured many potential sites in Scotland and found the perfect location at Dalswinton Estate, a 5,000-acre country pile in the heart of Dumfries and Galloway, renowned for its beautiful landscaped gardens, game sports, and fishing.

In common with Scotch whisky, Dalwinston has a rich heritage. The estate was once owned by Patrick Miller, friend and landlord of Robert Burns, who developed the site into what stands there today. The Dalswinton Loch is where the first steam-powered boat in Britain had its inaugural sailing, and there is even a life-size replica of the vessel on the estate.

Adrian Hoose, Claxon’s managing director, says: “Dalwinston had everything we were looking for – a beautiful rural location, disused thick stone-walled farm buildings that would be perfect for slow and steady dunnage-style maturation, and the potential to expand with more modern racked warehousing.”

So, in 2019, Claxton’s moved into the idyllic Sandbed House, and Dalswinton Bond was born.“A full renovation project, in partnership with the Dalswinton Estate, has seen an old and ruined farm house and buildings transformed into a whisky bond, blending lab, bottling hall, and tasting rooms,” explains Adrian.

Many notable milestones have been reached since. For example, Adrian is proud to have released the Dalswinton Series and Dalswinton Series Second Edition – dedicated to depicting scenes from the estate and its illustrious heritage – in 2021 and 2024. Other achievements along the way include extending the warehouse to hold an additional 2,500 casks in 2020, releasing its flagship range of single cask Scotch whiskies in 2021 and developing and bottling an exclusive blended whisky for former Formula 1 champion Jenson Button and the Coachbuilt Brand in 2022.

Adrian says: “We’ve worked hard to expand Claxton’s and we’ve really seen our commitment pay off. Scotch is increasingly popular, but it’s also a very competitive marketplace, so we’re pleased with how we’ve managed to reach new audiences and grow demand.

“To make the most of our enviable location, we renovated the Dalswinton Bond to include two visitor lounges and landscaped gardens in 2021. In 2024, we started building an additional 24,000-cask warehouse, and we scooped the Rural Business Award from Scottish Land & Estates.”

The brand also launched its flagship retail store in the nearby village of Thornill last year to take its products to the high street and further raise their profile.

Earlier this year, Claxton’s featured in the American four-part documentary Independent Spirits, A Whisky Series. Not one to stand still, Claxon’s is also currently celebrating new releases of its core range – Grain Barn, Red Comyn, GlenCarrick, and Smoking Furnace.

Focusing on their approach to maturation, Adrian comments: “As an independent bottler, blender and whisky maker, diversity and quality are central to everything we do. Ever since we put the first cask into bottles, we have been dedicated to expanding the diversity of our maturation programme.“Through years of careful curation our inventory now boasts casks maturing from as far back as the 1960s, from hundreds of different distilleries across Scotland, some of which ceased production decades ago.”

The casks used at Dalswinton Bond are sourced globally from specialist producers with as much care and attention as the spirit that fills them.

“Variety and individuality are at the forefront of the Claxton’s ethos when combining spirit and wood for maturation, and every shape, size and type of cask is used for a specific reason”, explains Adrian.

“Our team has spent years developing relationships with sherry bodegas, port wine producers and cooperages. Casks are added to our maturation program and can be laid down in the warehouse from between six months to 20 years and beyond.”

All bottling is done by hand on-site at Dalswinton Bond, and every release retains its natural colour and is non-chill filtered.

Looking ahead, Claxton’s will continue to release its flagship ranges of single casks with new batches coming in the form of Warehouse No.1 (cask strength single casks), Warehouse No. 8 (single cask octaves), and Exploration Series (single casks bottled at 50% volume).

On partnering with The Scotsman Whisky Club newsletter, Adrian says: “Our good friends at The Dram Team introduced the idea and it felt like a perfect association. Everyone involved is focused on bringing quality products to the forefront. Having the opportunity to speak to The Scotsman’s audience directly is huge.”

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