Review by: zSolaris
Distillery: Arran
Bottler: Rest & Be Thankful Whisky Co.
Region: Isle of Arran
Price: $12 for 2 oz.
ABV: 56.8% Cask Strength
Cask Type: Ex-Bourbon
Cask Number: 98/820
Age: 16 Year. Distilled on June 9th, 1998. Bottled on Feb 23rd, 2015.
Color: 1.3, Russet/Muscat. Natural Color and Non-Chill Filtered.
Nose: Freshly cut tropical fruit, specifically pineapple, dominates here. You even get the little bit of prickle from it. There’s also a little bit of orange marmalade and a bit of aged oak.
Palate: It has a fairly oily mouthfeel. The tropical fruits and pineapples from the nose continues on here along with a bit of pear. Some oak and pepper pop up as well to give this a little bit of spice. With water, the spiciness does cool with the pineapple and pear notes becoming more intense.
Finish: Medium to long in length. The finish reminds me of a slightly Southeast Asian spicy sweet chili sauce. Specifically, I was thinking of what you get when you mix a bit of sambal sauce with sweet chili sauce. There’s a bit of sweetness with a bit of tang along with the deep spice flavor, flavors that are distinctly Southeast Asian.
Conclusion: If you had a tropical vacation cancelled this year, this whisky might help ease the pain a little bit. Starting from the nose, you get a lot of tropical fruit. It continues on into the palate with lots of fresh pineapple. The finish brings about a really lovely combination of sweet chili sauce and sambal sauce that makes you keep going back for more. Absolutely delicious. Would I buy a bottle? Yes!
Final Score: 85.
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.
Malt Runners 
