Re-using Yeast from a bottle - 1845

[SiHoltye]

I went on the brewery tour today at Fullers and specifically asked about yeast strains used in casks and bottle conditioned beers. The answer is that they use only one - the Fullers strain - yeast throughout the brewing and bottling process. They do add a little fresh yeast to the beer going for bottle conditioning, but this is the same yeast as used in primary - the Fullers strain. So it seems by re-claiming the sediment in my bottle of 1845 I have Fullers yeast! Their vintage beer is lovely 8.5%, as always is the Chiswick bitter 3.5% (very hoppy). They have perhaps 9 firkins lying around that used to contain whisky, they filled these with 1845 back in December to see what the taste would be like, subsequently they've discovered don't have the spirit permits to sell these and so are offering them for collection. At least that's what John Holloway our tour guide told us.