Review by: zSolaris

Distillery: Arran

Region: Island

Age: 6 Year. Distilled in 2012 and bottled in 2019.

ABV: 54.2%

Cask Type: Sherry Hogsheads

Price: £52.50

Color: 1.6, Mahogany/Henna Notes. Natural Color and Non-Chill Filtered.

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Nose: Oh it’s definitely peated alright. It’s quite smokey and you can smell it before your nose even gets to the glass. There’s a beautiful savory note of smoked meats, it’s like walking into a barbecue restaurant. The sherry creeps in behind the savory notes with a little bit of fruit joining it in the form of apples. A note of salty sea breeze wraps things up.

Palate: The sherry comes through really strong here. It’s not quite a sherry bomb level but you really don’t get anything else beyond sherry and oak. With water, the oak dissipates and all you’re left with is the sherry.

Finish: Medium to long in length. There’s a sweet peat note, which is surprising from something so young. A sugary honey glazed salmon pops up with a bit of smoke. With water, there’s a really delicious and meaty note of peated malt. It’s almost like a dinner biscuit that’s soaked up the juices off of a really lovely steak.

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Conclusion: Arran has become one of the few distilleries where I’ll almost instinctively trust whatever they put out (long may that continue). The one question mark for me with them has been with their peated whiskies. Their standard peated release, Machrie Moor, wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy, especially in comparison to the rest of the line up. This sherry cask peated release, however, is fantastic. The nose builds up this absolutely combination of savory and slightly sweet notes with juicy meats, sherry, and a bit of salt. The finish, especially after water is added, is mouth watering-ly juicy. The palate, however, is a little bit of a let down. Perhaps it’s just muted in comparison to what came before and after, but I’m left wishing for more. Still, it’s a really delicious package on the whole.

Final Score: 84.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.