Arran is an interesting distillery because it is one of the only Island distilleries known for its unpeated malt rather than its peated malt whisky. Arran was founded in 1994 in the Isle of Arran in the town of Lochranza on the north coast of the isle. It was founded by former Chivas director Harold Currie who wanted to start a distillery on the island due to its rich heritage in distilling, albeit illegally, and founded the first new distillery on Arran since Lagg closed down in 1834. By the time their first legal single malt was ready it became the first single malt served on Arran in 160 years. At a time before construction was finished a family of golden eagles made a nest in the distillery so construction was halted for a while due to the protected nature of the species. The distillery owner saw this as a sign and decided to use the image of the golden eagle on the packaging of Arran whiskies which you can see in the box above.
Now for this single malt it comes from an early point in the distillery's history as it was started in 1996, 1 year after Arran opened. It's matured solely in a refill sherry puncheon, so likely a pedro ximenez sherry maturation, and is bottled at 52.6% ABV. It was a barrel purchased and sold by the LCBO in Ontario, Canada for around $212 CAD.
- Colour: Light amber
- Nose: Rich honeysuckle, caramel, vanilla, floral, stone fruits, sweet tropical fruits
- Taste: Light anise, vanilla, caramel, rich baking spice, stone fruits, raisin, floral notes, citrus fruits, a hint of sweet pineapple
- Finish: Medium-Long with spicy stone fruits, white pepper and caramel
86 pts
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