The Arran Malt 23 Year Explorer Series Volume 4: Drumadoon Point

Review by: zSolaris

Distillery: Arran

Region: Island

Age: 23 Year.

ABV: 49.50%

Cask Type: Matured in Sherry Puncheons

Price: £121.

Color: 1.2, Chestnut/Oloroso Sherry. Natural Color and Non-Chill Filtered.

Nose: It’s fairly light. The first notes that come through remind me heavily of the plate of vegetables and herbs you get with pho. Thai basil and mint are the strongest notes but there is also a little bit of bean sprout coming through as well. Lemon sparkling water and a hint of malt round this out.

Palate: Mouthfeel is actually a tad oily. There’s a warm sweetness. Warm apple and pear pie filling that has been generously spiced takes center stage. Pecan pie filling made with a lot of brown sugar join this as well bringing a nice nutty element. Spiced apple chips round this out. A drop of water made everything sweeter and threw off the balance a little bit for me, it drinks very easily without any as well.

Finish: Medium in length. More of the spiced apple chips along with a light dusting of milk chocolate.

Conclusion: I generally don’t crave ice cream, that’s the wife’s weakness, but this whisky had me wishing I had a tub of vanilla ice cream in the house. The nose is deceiving, being light and reminding you of something that’s probably on the healthier side with the pho garnish plate and lemon bubbly. The rest of this, however, is more like all of the sinful treats you probably shouldn’t be eating much of. The sugar packed pie fillings are decadent and yet spiced well enough to keep it from getting too sugary. It all but demands a scoop of vanilla to go along with it, though I’d suspect it’d to better mixed in than not. The folks at Arran have come up with another fantastic whisky, but at this point that’s not really a surprise.

Final Score: 92.

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.

Published by zSolaris

Unknown's avatar

Home is where the corn is! Or at least that's what I told the wife before moving her from sunny Southern California to the Midwest anyway. She doesn't share my love of scotch, the drink, but has been incredibly supportive of my little wander down the rabbit hole. We do both share a love of Scotch, our dog, though (she named him, I swear!). He's the cutie in the profile pic.

Leave a comment