Review by: dustbunna
My first Arran! (And very likely not my last.) This is the new post-2019 bottling, though this particular expression has been around for some years. Arran does not put an age statement on the bottle, but it was easy enough to read on their site that ‘The Bothy’ is aged 7 years in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, then transferred to 125-liter quarter casks for 2 years.
Distillery: Lochranza.
Bottler: Distillery bottling.
Region: Islands (Arran).
ABV: 56.2%. Cask strength.
Age: 9 years according to site (NAS on label). Bottled in 2020.
Cask type: First-fill ex-bourbon casks, second maturation in quarter casks.
Price: $52 USD.
Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Bottle open across approx. 2 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, italicized notes taken towards the heel.
Nose: shy at first, but lots of water and resting brings forth tropical fruit, chocolate, dusty old leather, a bit of sour candy, orange creamsicle, hints of vanilla and oak round it out.
Palate: full-bodied ~ again, shy at first but eventually lots more fresh tropical fruit, sawdust, cream, apples and apple blossoms, more orange creamsicle.
Finish: medium length ~ some ethanol heat, more sweet fruit laced with cinnamon, old oiled wood, cinnamon roll frosting on the tail end.
Conclusion: This was parched and needed water… quite a bit of it. 7-10 drops seems to give me the best balance– it can take more, and when doing so the estery fruits come forward at the expense of some extra peppery ethanol heat. By the heel, it morphed enough to drink neat and bring out all its dimensions without added water. This is not complex, but it’s a 9yr cask strength whisky that’s delicious and quaffable with plenty of fruit and wood spice and texture to it, and the price is absolutely right. Still waiting stateside to see this new one on a shelf, but if I find it at $50-65 I would totally pick up another one.
Final Score: 83.
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 