Review by: zSolaris

Christmas Countdown 2020 #12: Arran 18 Year

Distillery: Arran

Region: Island

Age: 18 Year.

ABV: 46.0%

Cask Type: “A mix of [Arran’s] most luxurious sherry casks”

Color: 1.8, Old Oak. Natural Color and Non-Chill Filtered.

This is the 12th installment of this years’ Christmas Countdown. You can see the entire 2020 series here or the 2019 edition here.

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Nose: (according to the wife) Caramel and maple trees are the main notes here. There’s a little bit of raisin and bits of red pepper as well.

Palate: It’s a sherry bomb alright. The sherry comes out strong in all of it’s beautiful sweet and fruity glory. It does need a drop of water or two to open up a bit but once it does, it’s a flood of layers of fruit. White grapes, figs, plums, maesil, and little bits of nectarine are all present.

Finish: Medium in length. There’s a tad of bit of cream, more of those white grapes, and a little bit of oak spice.

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Conclusion: Another day, another great whisky by Arran. I’ve been wanting to try their 18 year old release for a while now and I’m glad I’ve had the chance to. It is a sherry bomb, though on the lighter side than some sherry bombs. It’s the first thing you taste when you take a sip and it leaves a lasting impact. The different orchard fruits in here make for a lot of fun to pick them out as you go. I wish there was some other kind of element in here, a few tasting notes mention chocolate but I couldn’t seem to find it, but it’s still fantastic as it is. Would I buy a bottle? Yes.

Final Score: 87.

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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.