A couple of rare Isle of Arran variations (peat included)
Did we all survive the days of Christmas? As the year comes to a close, we have a few blogs left to publish. That will be today and upcoming Monday, which is my birthday, and Tuesday. Let’s start with a nice late December weekend Long Pour for you with two bottlings from the Isle of Arran. These days the distillery is better known as the Lochranza Distillery, but products still hit the market under the name Arran. The one that caught my attention is the peated 15 years old. These batches and releases will increasingly become rare with the arrival of the Lagg Distillery, owned by the same company, making sure there is enough peated malt coming from Arran. I always thought that Arran works best unpeated.
The other whisky on the table today is an Arran that had treatment in an Australian Red Wine cask. This makes me cringe beforehand, but I try to keep an open mind to wine maturation. Lots and lots of whisky enthusiasts do enjoy it, so we keep going back to the salt mines and taste them. I read an interesting note on this on author David Stirk’s Facebook page. He claimed that a shortage of good quality sherry casks is not something new. Around the turn of the previous century, producers were also using wine casks for maturation. Not such a modern problem … ahem, I mean … innovation then.
Arran Small Batch 11 years old, bottled at 55,7 % abv
First things first: This small batch bottling of Arran was done especially for The Netherlands. It received an Australian Red Wine finish. There is no information about the length of the finish.
Upon Sipping: A very attractive nose that gives a very nostalgic feel, with hints of old attic, dust, wood and the faintest hint of deep red cherries. It seems to me the balance is quite okay, giving me the idea that the finishing in the wine cask was mercifully short. Taking a sip, the dry tannins are undeniably there, but it makes for a rather pleasant feel on the palate. There is enough juicy character to compensate. This Arran carries a lot of weight, with strong hints of heavy tobacco leaves and the omnipresent cherries. There is a feel of smoke, even though nothing suggests this was a peated batch. I could easily believe it was. The higher abv might do some lifting here.
Water does not do it any favours though, on the nose that is.
Some minty notes emerge that feel out of place with the earlier notes. This should stay a red fruit whisky. The taste also does not need the water, making the dry character prevalent. This was good stuff just as it is: undiluted.
Word to the Wise: When it comes to wine finishes, this Arran is a good example of how it might well work. I enjoyed this expression neat quite a lot. It reminded me of an Arran Amarone cask matured expression from years and years ago. I actually tasted it after a distillery tour, and had to admit that was quite nice too. Not to everyone in my company though, but if I had to choose a whisky that knows how to stand up to wine maturation, Arran would be a strong contender for the number one spot.
Score: 85 points
Arran Rare Batch 15 years old, bottled at 54,4 & abv
First things first: This rare batch matured for 15 years in oloroso sherry casks, producing 4024 bottles exactly. To make it even more special, this batch was peated. Bottled in 2024.
Upon Sipping: Well, there is peat involved, because you can smell it from a mile away! Or, in my case, from my glass standing next to the laptop. This is a rather sweet-scented peat though, and not at all maritime. I do not know where Arran sources their peat, but this might well be coming from the mainland. Hints of damp earthen floor, smouldering camp fire, ashes even, and some rain to wash it all away at the early dawn of day. It is hard to determine where the peat ends and the oloroso delight begins. The sherry influence creates a meaty impression, but that is just superficial. More fruity sweetness becomes dominant with every passing second, developing in a most impressive aroma. After years of seeing a whisky market flooded with young (no age stated) stuff, the middle age whisky is taking back control of what good single malt Scotch is all about.
Taking a sip, I am surprised by how dry this Arran is. The peat remained very strong even after 15 years of ageing. I fear it passed the peak of perfection with just a year or two. Still, I am very impressed, most of all because it is so different compared to (for instance) Islay peated malt at this age. I think of Bowmore, to name one, that excels at this age. The Arran comes close to that level, but it lacks maybe just a tad of fruitiness that would have made this a very solid offering. We need some water for that. This releases some cigar leaves, which could have been a nice marketing strategy to promote this rare Arran: combine with a smoke. The development in the glass is really strong, making up for lost territory. Let’s take another sip. Bitter notes remain, and too few fruits emerge. A dark and brooding Arran, perfect for a late December winter evening.
Word to the Wise: When you drink Arran regularly, this whisky will provide you with something really left-field, and that is something to be thankful for. I like seeing distilleries trying stuff and making it work. The peat and the sherry work together well, and even though I do miss some red fruits in the mix, the other elements more than make up for it. Recommended whisky here!
Score: 88 points
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