Review by: dustbunna
Arran released this core mid-tier age statement bottling in 2010, and discontinued it in 2018 prior to revamping their product range (at the time they said this was due to a shortage of dedicated stocks to keep making large batches of a 14-year-old product— we shall see if it makes a return in the future.) From what I can find, this was entirely first-fill maturation, ⅓ of the vatting came from European oak sherry casks and the other ⅔ from American oak ex-bourbon barrels.
Distillery: Lochranza.
Bottler: Distillery bottling.
Region: Islands (Arran).
ABV: 46%.
Age: 14 years. Bottled in 2017.
Cask type: 33% European ex-sherry, 67% American ex-bourbon.
Price: $82 USD.
Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Bottle open across approx. 10 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: rich estery fruit, some brine and a poolside chemical note in the background, overripe pineapple, papaya, milk chocolate coins, bark dust, thyme, Luxardo cherries.
Palate: full-bodied ~ effervescent with lots of estery fruits, minerals, more pineapple and papaya, flint, malt, almonds.
Finish: medium-long ~ a bit of dead-leaf funk, the super-ripe fruits just keep on coming, fruit leather on the tail end, more minerals, even more pineapple.
Conclusion: This tastes older and richer than 14 years old, that’s for sure. The bourbon casks are at the helm, and as it opens up, this whisky becomes a ripening tropical fruit basket with just enough saline and mineral underlay to keep from going too sweet. When I tasted my way through the Explorers Series, despite being a fraction of the price and age, generally I preferred this whisky to all four of them, and I think it comes down to the sheer honesty of the estery presentation here. I can see why it had a following, as it really encapsulates Arran’s reputation for fruitiness with just enough complexity to keep things interesting. If they ever end up releasing it again, you bet I would go back for another.
Final Score: 87.
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 