Review by: zSolaris

Christmas Countdown 2020 #21: Arran 21 Year The Green Welly Stop Exclusive (1997)

Distillery: Arran

Region: Island.

Age: 21 Year. Distilled June 9th, 1997. Bottled September 5th, 2018.

ABV: 55.3%

Cask Type: Sherry Butt

Cask Number: 841

Color: 1.1, Burnished. Natural Color and Un-Chill Filtered.

This is the 21st installment of this years’ Christmas Countdown. You can see the entire 2020 series here or the 2019 edition here.

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Nose: It’s a fruity one, though it’s not fresh fruit. I’m reminded of Jolly Ranchers and other hard candies. Green apple and lemon flavored Jolly Ranchers are my first impression along with banana Runts and pineapple Life Savers.

Palate: It’s fruity from the start. Pineapple juice is the main note up with all of its prickly goodness. A bit of lemon pops in as well. There are some berries here and again.

Finish: Long. More of the pineapple and berries. There’s a little bit of chili pepper as well.

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Conclusion: If you ever needed an example of the more tropical nature that Arran can bring, look no further than this one. Pineapples are the name of the game and it’s there from start to finish. The nose is really interesting with several fruity hard candies. After that, it does get a bit simplistic and heavy on the pineapple though. It’s not bad and it is a good display of Arran’s summery side, but I’d expect a lot more from an old Arran that I’m not getting here.

Final Score: 81.

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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.