Arran
- OWNER: ISLE OF ARRAN DISTILLERS, LTD.
- FOUNDED: 1995
- REGION: HIGHLANDS
- PRONUNCIATION: AIR-un
One of the first distilleries founded in the latest wave of Scotch expansion, Arran is the brainchild of Harold Currie, a former Chivas executive. The island of Arran, tucked into the Firth of Clyde on the western coast of Scotland, between the suburbs of Glasgow and the Kintyre Peninsula, was once home to nearly fifty distilleries, but today its namesake is the only one carrying on the tradition. The folks at the distillery no doubt appreciate that heritage, because Arran produces a wide range of expressions for such a new and relatively small company, whose stills churn out just three quarters of a million liters of spirit a year, well below a tenth of what comes out of some of the Speyside stalwarts like Glenfiddich and Macallan. Arran is particularly known for its wine-barrel finishes, and rightly so.
Arran
Aged 10 Years
The distillery’s basic, core expression.
- PRICE $ · RATING
- AGE 10 years old
- ALC/VOL 46%
- NOSE Toasted coconut, vanilla, butterscotch, white wine, raisins, green apple; with water, you get a bit of resin and an almost hoppy, fruity note.
- PALATE Tart dried citrus, coconut, malty creaminess, orange zest, and shortbread; the finish lingers with a slightly drying tart and spice note.
- GENERAL A superb drink for an entry-level expression; bright, bouncy, but not without depths and structure. Strikingly similar to Clynelish, with the citrus and creamy coconut notes.
Port Finish
Aged for about eight years in ex-bourbon barrels, then finished in ex-port casks.
- PRICE $$ · RATING
- AGE No age statement
- ALC/VOL 50%
- NOSE Red apples, dried tropical fruit, nutmeg, roasted nuts, leather, vanilla, and a brackish, fungal funk; water adds honey, red currants, and milk chocolate.
- PALATE A medium mouthfeel, tart up front, with cough syrup, bitter citrus, saltwater, grain, and sour cherries; with water, it turns rich and sweet, with red currants, brown sugar, and salt. The finish dries fast; it’s slightly medicinal and hot—think spicy cherries, hot peppers, and brine.
- GENERAL Discordant, messy, and intriguingly complex. Not everything works, but it’s a beguiling, tasty dram.
Arran
Amarone Finish
Almost rose pink in color; like its brethren, it has spent eight years in ex-bourbon barrels and is then finished in casks that formerly held amarone, a full-bodied Italian red wine.
- PRICE $$ · RATING
- AGE No age statement
- ALC/VOL 50%
- NOSE Peaches, cherries, vanilla, and a slight oak spiciness, more like a boozy wine than a whisky; water brings out granulated sugar, cake batter, and tropical fruit.
- PALATE A big mouthfeel that opens funky and fishy—think salmon skins—up front, which gives way to baker’s chocolate, grape skins, some developing heat, and a slightly metallic tinge. The finish dries quickly, leaving an herbal, slightly vegetal aftertaste.
- GENERAL A whisky I can respect, but not like. The finish draws just what the whisky needs from the wine, but nothing more. Still, it’s too dry and aggressive for me.
Aged 14 Years
Made from a combination of one-third European oak ex-sherry casks and two-thirds American oak ex-bourbon casks.
- PRICE $$ · RATING
- AGE 14 years old
- ALC/VOL 46%
- NOSE Green apples, saline, dough, toast, creosote, tart candy, wet grass; water adds melons, lemon tart, and, after a while, honey and floral sweetness.
- PALATE Medium-bodied, with melons, sour lemons, cereal; a little water tames it significantly, bringing out bitter cocoa. The finish is long, bitter, and spicy, with the melon and grain notes riding through.
- GENERAL Lively, zingy, and sparkly, it’s a different whisky than what you’re used to, but also what you expect from Arran.
Arran
Cask Strength
An annual, full-throttle expression, with each batch at a slightly different proof. Drawn from a mix of ex-bourbon, first-fill sherry butts, and second-fill sherry hogsheads.
- PRICE $$ · RATING
- AGE 12 years old
- ALC/VOL 52.9%
- NOSE Quite boozy, with clover honey, orange blossom, vanilla crème brûlée, and salt; the sherry notes pour forth with a drop of water
- PALATE A thick, meaty flavor, with ripe banana, grapefruit, and tangerine, growing sweeter toward the middle. Water calls forth citrus oil and buttered, peppery toast. The finish is long and slightly dry, with chocolate and hints of sweet and sour sauce.
- GENERAL Despite the booze on the nose, it’s less aggressive—indeed, much more delicate—than you’d think. Like most Arrans, this one is all about balancing different, competing notes, and it does it so, so well.
Machrie Moor
Machrie Moor the place is a peat bog on the west central coast of Arran, most famous for Bronze Age stone circles. Machrie Moor the whisky is Arran’s peated expression, at 14 ppm, released in semiannual batches.
- PRICE $$ · RATING
- AGE No age statement
- ALC/VOL 46%
- NOSE Woodsy, vanilla, lemongrass, perfume, grapefruit, turned earth, putty, and verbena; water brings out lemon custard, swimming pool, and cigar tobacco.
- PALATE Medium-thin, with notes of grain, lemon custard, leather, and toast, and a big spice pop at mid-palate; water makes it even grainier. The finish shows ash, tobacco, and wood polish.
- GENERAL Tastes like an underaged bourbon. Lacks intensity, despite the angry dog on the label.
Arran
Sauternes Finish
Aged for eight years in ex-bourbon barrels, then finished for an undisclosed span of time in casks that once held Sauternes, a sweet white wine from Bordeaux.
- PRICE $$ · RATING
- AGE No age statement
- ALC/VOL 50%
- NOSE Honeysuckle, almonds, orange juice, maple syrup, bright floral notes, and an odd, entrancing meatiness in the back; water brings out vanilla, brown sugar, and freshly opened cigarette packs.
- PALATE A thick mouthfeel, with fresh tobacco, honey, rum, citrus oils, and pepper at the mid-palate; water calls forth orange extract, Dr. Pepper, and ever-so-slight smoke. The finish pops with chocolate-covered cherries, lemon oil, and a long, peppery note.
- GENERAL Rich and balanced—sweet and dry, fruit and flower, woody and crisp, with an intriguing bit of smoke at the back. Especially for 100 proof, it’s light and drinkable.
Aged 18 Years
The distillery’s oldest release to date and now a part of its core range, the 18 Year Old is aged in ex-sherry hogsheads and ex-bourbon barrels.
- PRICE $$$ · RATING
- AGE 18 years old
- ALC/VOL 46%
- NOSE Orange pulp, drawn butter, blueberry syrup, spicy honey, and a late-afternoon sea breeze; with a few drops of water, it transforms into peaches and cream.
- PALATE Dry citrus, cream, spicy vanilla, orange candy, and honey; the long finish shows peaches and black tea.
- GENERAL A perfectly balanced whisky, with clear but not dominant sherry notes. Pair it with a crème brûlée for a double treat at dessert.