Chapter 20
My first Arran Whisky
Arran is one of our favourite distilleries. Very simple. This is for a number of contributing factors. These have different relative importance creating a multidimensional bond of appreciation (is that even a thing? I’m not sure, but never mind. This is what I wrote).
At the core, of course: the spirit. With its distinctively light, fresh and floral character. Try their new make, if you manage, to see what I mean. Second, the value of their products. Not by chance the 10 years old has just won again the best value category in the OSWA. Then, their line-up, their distillery only releases (pure gems), the amazing location, the friendly staff, their bottle and lables’ design…and we could go on forever…
We’ve already talked about them in Jack’s Chapter 13 and in Leo’s Chapter 31…this time we go through a few samples kindly made available to us, plus a few more from our collections to give a good overview in case you’re thinking about which one to try next/first.
Arran 10
Arran’s flagship. It’s simply never missing from our shelves. Not just for its value for money (which I’m a big fan of obviously). This is one of those I always pour to someone who’s curious to learn more about single malt scotch whisky. Here’s our notes.
On the Nose: Apple, Green apple, dried tobacco leaves. Fragrant peach iced tea and maple syrup. A wee drop of water and butterscotch emerges. Something like freshly baked bread, malty like sourdough.
On the Palate: tea leaves, almond, honey lots of honey. Rich honey.
Finish: a bit citrusy. Definitely spicy. Tropical coconut water lingering at the back of the throat.
Overall: not a lot to add. A winning dram.
Arran 18
We jump straight to the 18 years old. We, as many, feel like it’d be nice to have something in the middle as it used to be. Here we can also appreciate the quality cask policy at Arran. The spirit baseline is still there, but a mature, elegantly balanced mix of sherry and bourbon casks makes the rest of the magic.
On the Nose: amarena, morello cherry, sweet caramelised onion chutney. Brick dust (from Leo – straight from building sites, dust coming from bricks when they’re cut), caldarroste (roasted chestnuts). More honey as in other expressions. Woodier than the 10, apples are more baked. Kellogg’s cornflakes
On the Palate: gentle soft arrival, more sherry than the 10, moscatel.
Finish: dry sherry finish, probably fino or amontillado (maybe we’re wrong).
Overall: Good to try to see how older Arran performs. Tight call between this one and a Deanston 18, which one would you go for? For both it’d be nice to try something around the sweet-spot 15 years mark.
Arran 25
£350 at TWE, wooden box, specially engraved bottle. All the frills you’d logically expect from a 25 year old single scotch whisky. Balanced mix of casks 46% abv and of course natural presentation as usual from Arran.
On the Nose dentist latex gloves (might sound as an off-note, but I quite like it to be honest), almond butter…fresh fruits, loads of them as in the 10 but peeled and fresher. Green sweet grape. Distant rose water. Time and a micro drop of water give you Slaps of vanilla right in your face (a schiaffoni), tangerine and cork.
On the Palate: creamy, pastel de nata. Packs of dried sherry.
Finish: Very spicy with nutmeg, allspice and peppercorn.
Overall: I made a lot of compliments so far. I am no one, but personally, this is not my cup of tea. A great dram of course. But for the price I’d still go with the 10. It’s hard to try older whiskies these days so probably my palate needs to evolve more, but when I tried 25 years + Bowmore, Bunnahabhain or Springbank (for example) I had that instant mind-blowing sensation I simply did not get here. Probably because they have such a wide selection of cheaper, available and tasty drams…victims of their own quality. It must be.
Arran Quarter Cask
Around 9 years of calculated age, this NAS, cask strength expression is personally a revelation.
On the Nose: oil based paint (white in Leo’s brain), vanilla is more prominent, torta della nonna, baked pine nuts. Tropical again with pineapple and coconut. Artisan cheese shop…a bit of water and time and it changes a lot. Layers of pure toffee become dominant.
On the Palate: cheesy, pickled gherkins or olives, more vanilla and curd.
Finish: on the sweet side with toffee, pecan and pineapple.
Overall: a concentrated version of Arran’s DNA. Some signs of youth but minimal. A fairly accessible price and presented at cask strength 56.2%. It needs just a tiny water for my taste, but as far as bang for the buck and accessibility, this a very fair contender to a 10 year old. Definitely worth trying and make your own choice as you gotta have an Arran in your cabinet. I left it a few more minutes and guys…this little fella is a candy shop in the glass and gets the badge!
Arranach 10 y D’issan Margaux 58%
Arranach means ‘from Arran’. This is a 20 cl version only and available strictly in the distillery shop. It is probably one of their most exclusive expressions. It changes every time. This was the one available when we last visited them. One of those stealing the scene when poured.
On the Nose: freshly chopped portobello mushrooms, mossy woodland. Raisins, sulfury winey notes. Moscovado. There is so much going on. A bit of water and it’s almost like homemade mayonnaise (for those of you who make their own mayo of course).
On the Palate: mind blowing palate. Thick, waxy, rich, almost chewy. One of the most dense palates I’ve ever tried. Nutty, spiced and sherried.
Finish: long lingering sweet and sour. On the dry side. Amazing palate and finish continuity.
Overall: This is a unique experience, you need to get there to buy it, if you find it, it changes every few months and it’s only 1 20 cl bottle each. It tastes like a 18+ years old, but it’s only a 10. Crazy experience of what a good cask can do. It doesn’t get the badge just because of the small quantity purchasable and the relative impossibility to find it around the world. If you do. No brainer at the right price.
Overall
We love Arran. We don’t expect everyone to do the same, but it’s hard not to see the good work they’ve been doing.
They’ll always get a space (a few spaces actually) on our shelves and we’re so grateful for the experiences they’ve given us so far. There will be another article at some point on their cask finishes (Port, Amarone, Sauternes, Sherry)…let us know how quickly you want to read about them too.
Drams
and more...
Today's drams
- Arran 10 – 46%
- Arran 18 – 46%
- Arran 25 – 46%
- Arran Quarter Cask – 56.2%
- Arran Arranach 10 yo D’Issan Margaux – 58%