Scotland, The Isles: Single malt whisky through the producing distilleries: history, making, production and tasting notes

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Arran

The Isles: Arran

Distillery description Tasting notes

The distillery

Arran

For information about the distillery, please click on the photo.

The whisky

A propos des notes de dégustation Your own tasting notes

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Arran: official bottlings
 

Isle of Arran
Age
 6 years
Alcohol percentage
 43%
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros< 25 euros
 Arran
 

The colour is yellow (straw) with greenish glints. The nose is close to malted barley and the fragrances are issued from the distillation (spices) with however slight chocolate hints, coming from the ageing in sherry casks.
The palate is full and mellow and confirms the nose.
The finish is long and sweet-bitter and goes on on notes evoking nuts vanilla and barley.

(la Maison du Whisky)

The distillery is the most recent of Scotland, as it was founded in 1995. The first single malt the distillery marketed is aged 6 years, and  despite its young age, this whisky has great qualities. It is however not yet able to compete with the great single malts, but the production of this interesting distillery must be kept in mind in the coming years, as it could bring us some very nice bottlings.... It is rather unfair to compare a young spirit (6 years) with others who spend more than 10 years in oak casks.

The nose is marked by malt with a hint of sweet spices (cinnamon?). The taste is very sweet, sugared and without a great complexity. The rather short finish is interesting. An excellent alcohol for its age. But personally, I prefer riper alcohols.

A nice freshness at first nosing, something between malt and ripe fruits, with a touch of spices. In the mouth, a kind of dullness, marked by some slightly bitter and "metallic" notes, where the nose impressions are not recognized. The finish is rather bitter as well, some nutty aftertaste and still this "metallic" character, giving the impression the whisky has been served in an iron recipient... The whole is however rather pleasant, and the young age of this whisky makes it a hope for the future.

Comments by Johannes Sauer

C.: Bright, fresh straw, a soft greenish gleam
N.: The first imagination is citrus friut, lime peel, mildly spiced tea with cinnamon and ginger. All together very well blended with a hefty whiff of alcohol. Beneath this very friendly impression are thick, round layers of malt and barley.
P.: The alcohol is here even a bit stronger, the citrus steps back, but very new and amazing is a breath of earth and moss which replaces the spiced tea and mixes beautifully with the malty taste. Evokes memories of a warm and rainy day in Scotland.....
F.: A medium short finish, earth, moss and malt vanishing quickly, leaving room for the lively alcoholic taste which teases the tastebuds for a short while.
Conc.: A rather surprising, multilayered and pleasureful dram despite its young age.

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Arran First
1995 Distillation
Age
 8 years
Alcohol percentage
 46%
Particularity
 Non chill filtered
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Arran First
This bottle is part of a batch from the first distillation in 1995. Only 2784 bottles have been marketed.
Nose: Warm. Sweet scenty. A hint of salt.
Palate:Clean. Toffee. Creamy. Bananas
Finish:Cedary. Long, soothing. The early releases were promising, and this one has matured well.
A very pleasant smell, with slightly salted but very fresh hints precedes a rather complex and very pleasant taste, which has a kind of sweet-sour character. The non chill filtration adds a very pleasant note to the whole. A rather long finish, with some woody notes crowns this excellent bottle.

The nose detects some honey and green wood hints. The smell is fresh, but not really complex. Probably normal for a malt at this age. In the palate, a nicely sugared whisky, with hints of toffee. But a kind of monotony in the taste. A nice finish, rather long, remaining on slightly woody notes with however a strong impression of alcohol. This impression was paradoxically not present nor at the nose nor in the mouth.

Nice spicy nose announcing a great complexity. A touch of smoke, nice fruity notes and some nutty hints with at the end a kind of soapy impression...
The mouth draws level with the nose even if the announced complexity is not completely present. Nutty and spicy notes. Quite a pleasant mouth.
The finish is rather fresh and all sensations of the palate prolong for long minutes.

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Isle of Arran
Finished in a Port Cask
Age
 No age statement
Alcohol percentage
 57,5%
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Arran Port finish
A rather fresh nose, announcing a rather young whisky, but not without a certain character, even nearly aggressive. In the palate, the young age of this whisky is revealed by a lack at fullness and a marked presence of alcohol that the port finish did not succeed to hide completely. A lingering and very pleasant finish, where the port appears, giving a rather sweet finishing touch despite the high alcohol degree.

The second tasting just confirmed the first one, especially the aggressive side of a young alcohol. The finish is clearly on the port without losing the roughness of a young and spirited whisky.

Quite a pleasant nose despite some alcohol hints making the nose tingle, some wax ane malted notes. In the mouth, an interesting mix of toasted malted barley, some citrus fruits, a bit of woody bitterness, discrete coffee notes and a kind of overall sweetness. The finish is warm and its length is quite long, but without exaggeration.
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Isle of Arran
Age
 10 years
Alcohol percentage
 46%
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros< 25 euros
Arran 10
COLOR : Deep gold with greenish glints.
NOSE : fresh and elegant, it is marked by fruits (pear) and vanilla on a background of subtle coconut notes.
PALATE: oily. Frank and precise attack. Notes of pears in syrup. It developes on ripe fruits
(cherry plum), dry fruits (raisin, haselnut) and oak.
FINISH : dominated by citrus fruits (orange, lemon). Herbal (cut hay) it developes on fruits (pear, les agrumes dominent (orange, citron). Herbacée (foin coupé), elle se prolonge sur les fruits (pêche blanche, medlar).
(la Maison du Whisky)
The nose is wuite fresh and pleasant, without any aggressiveness. A smooth and suave nose with nice fruity but rather discrete hints. Some vanilla too. In the palate, a kind of complexity, where malt and fruity hints share are both "papilla catchers" at first, and then it developes on slightly acid notes, between metal and wood, and at last, nice bitter touches (nut), when the alcohol impression begins to appear. Strange enough, at the first contact in the palate, this whisky gave an impression of beeing watery, than the presence of alcohol becomes obvious, before disappearing after a while. The finish is pleasant and rather long, smooth just like the first nosing. Quite a special bottle...

A pleasantly fruity nose with nice hints of vanilla. Just smoothness and nuances. Nice floral notes mixed to honey fragrances. Heather and wild flowers.
In the palate, the same pleasant fruity smoothness mixes with slightly bitter notes first and develop quickly on a kind of acidity, unripe fruits mixed with ripe ones, before coming back on the first sweet fruity sensations.
The finish is rather short and clearly below the nose and mouth. Acidity dominates now.
18/20
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Arran
100% proof

Age
 8 years
Alcohol percentage
 57%
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Aran 100 proof
Powerful floral whiffs are really delightful for the nostrils. Several nuances, all of them being very pleasant.
The mouth too is very pleasant, relatively complex with a nice mix of smooth, fruity and malty notes and some quite acid hints and others discretely bitter ones. The whole is very nice.
The finish is lingering and perfectly balanced, just like the nose and the mouth were...

Comment by Johannes Sauer

Colour: Bright clear apple juice
Nose: A firm maltiness with a complex fruity and floral approach. Crème brûlée with fresh apples. Palate: oily, the vanishing of the alcohol releases a wonderful fruity malt-combination not without a soft spicy vanilla note. The addition of water increases this impression.
Finish: Long and malty. Conclusion: This is love at the first taste, a malt which does not need any peat.

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Isle of Arran
Ambassadors Choice
Issue One
Cask 444
Age
 10 years
Alcohol percentage
 46%
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Arran Ambassadors Choice
Quite a discrete nose with malty and nutty hints and a touch of yeast. Marshmallow as well.
In the palate, a light bitterness completes a first smooth and pleasant contact, and the complexity which makes usually a great whisky is compensated by a nice balance. A discrete touch of smoke and another of citrus fruit.
The finish is more spectacular than the palate but here also the dominant seems to be a balanced malty and nutty impression.
18/20
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Arran: independent bottlers

Arran
Berry's Own Selection
Age
 10 years
Alcohol percentage
 54,6%
Bottler
 Berry Bros & Rudd
=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Arran 1996 Berry Bros & Rudd
A refined malty nose. Discrete notes of marshmallow and of ripe fruit characterise this delicately perfumed nose.
The first mouth is bitter then acid before coming back on malt and fruit after a light smoky phase. A kind of complexity without exaggeration. A great smoothness even if this whisky is not so easy to apprehend.
The finish is long and a smooth bitterness prolongs for long minutes.
17/20
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Arran: samples

Arran
The Ultimate single malt collection
cask #649

Age
 11 years
Alcohol percentage
 46%
Bottler
 Van Wees
=25 euros< 25 euros
Nice nose with beautiful ripe pear hints and some peppery notes.
In the palate, the same pear smoothness first, which unfortunately makes quickly room for some kind of unexpected rather unpleasant chocolate bitterness.
The finish keeps the memory of the mouth for quite a short time. The nice notes of the nose have completely disappeared.
17/20
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Arran: not in collection


ARRAN
Robert Burns

Alcohol percentage
 40%
Bottler
 Officiel
Arran Robert Burns

Comment by Johannes Sauer

Colour: Very bright, white wine, even brighter. Very soft greenish glints. Nearly sparkling.This is really a beauty, that's one more appreciation point alone for this beautiful colour.
Nose: Spearmint, coconut, pineapple. Green grass, clover. Behind that lays a softer malty note. Like a whiff of wet air after a country rain.
Taste: Very easy, very fresh, a little perfumed note (maraschino) leaves a soft disturbing impression. Green apples and white chocolate. Sugarcubes, again mints.
Finish: Short, easy and quickly passing by. Uncomplicated.
Conc.: All in all an a little harmless and and not very demanding dram if there were not this colour I fell in love with....
Rating is 15 points + 1 for the colour
Tasting Date: Oct/23/2008
Price in Germany: under 30 Euro
16/20

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