4 Arrans

I have thoroughly enjoyed some of the different wine casked Arrans, but I feel to a certain extent that they are putting out to many single cask bottling as to what's gainful for their reputation. Hopefully these will be crackers so that I might have to swallow my words on this one as well. Anyway, it's good to see that there are so much produce around from this distillery that many IB's already got a share.


Arran 10yo 46% OB

The third most recent standard, as the 12yo and 14yo are now making way on the market. I have heard that the 14yo is not quite living up to its expectations, but that's for me to find out on another tasting. This was the crucial one, the standard OB that first gave way for a gathered impression from whisky-lovers based on the same expression of Arran. It's hard to make a judgement on a malts quality only on single casks, as the variations are much bigger. The palate gives vanilla and peppery notes, peat, coffee and white wine, light stuff. The taste is peppery, grassy, dry white wine and sweet tea.

Light: 4


Arran NAS 49.9% OB Cask Strength and Carry On

One bottled for the website http://caskstrength.blogspot.com/, I hope they have made a good choice of cask despite the low strength after approximately 14 years in the cask. There are good casks of low strength out there for sure, but too often I whisky that have been settling on wood for far too long to enhance price (My personal opinion of course). A whisky could be just as good when 7yo and 65%abv as to 34yo and 42.3%abv . It's all a matter of cask quality. But then far from all bottles drains %abv's at this pace and many 30yo+ bottlings still holds well above 60%abv. Pale whisky, smells much lighter than the 10yo, caramel and butter, no peat influence here. Not the most exciting whisky, but no off-notes. The taste is very oaky and peppery, some burnt sugar and kindergarden glue. With water? Now it becomes more spirity, my guess would be this is well under 10yo, but how is it that the abv is under 50%? A real disappointment, I have to read up on this version to see what else is there to know? I couldn't bare having more than 2cl of this

Oakiness was all the oak gave, best(slightly better) undiluted: 2


Arran 12yo 1998-2010 56.3% OB cask#679 btl.203/204

The possibly fabulous but often jus quite good, in my book, Bourbon Cask-series from the distillery. I think most modern whisky nowadays are filled in casks like this, so why not just make it single casks, no extra expenses.. But I think the best casks must go to this series instead of into standard vattings? Yes, yes, yes, I have tried fantastic CS sherry casks and even wine cask finishings, so maybe there is lots of potential in these Bourbon single casks? Let's try this one. Smells light and airy, cotton candy, gets a bit peppery and some grassiness after a while. Burnt oak? A very well burnt cask? The taste is much peatier than the past two. This has much bigger balls than the other two, it couldn't be all due to the higher %abv, or could it? The nose is about as bland s it gets. The palate is far more robust, yet perfectly simple with oak, peat and spirity notes standing out. A fine whisky to get drunk on, for those who'd like that, but what enjoying the whisky is concerned, it's not too much to enjoy.

Easy, slightly silly peatbomb: 4.5


Arran 11yo 1999-2010 56.6% OB cask#93 btl.83/200

Last one in this vertical, maybe this can raise the standard a bit, I think I have still to find an Arran that can stand on its own from a bourbon cask and not being depended on some wine cask finishing to stand apart in a positive way. The nose is fuller than the other ones, some greasy oil and honey, sweet and creamy, bursts of peat as well. The firmest of the bunch. The taste is phenolic, raw onion, rubber, papery, candle bar, stearic. The aftertaste is drying, which is somewhat more than what've been in the previous three, but its not a very good finish nevertheless.

I like it but it will never be a favorite: 4