Review by: Whiskery Turnip
Image Credit: zSolaris, aka Scotch&Sheen (check out his review through the link)
Distillery: Arran.
Bottler: Distillery.
Region: Scotland/Island Single Malt.
ABV: 54.2%. Cask Strength.
Age: 6 Years. Distilled in 2012. Bottled in 2019.
Cask type: Sherry Hogsheads.
Nose: Dried fruits and hints of leather, burning candle wick and wispy smoke, rum baba cake, hints of vanilla and coconut, smoldering palm fronds.
Palate: Medium-bodied, a touch syrupy at times, dried figs and dates, hints of fresh dark roasted coffee and charred wood, toasted brown sugar, mellow tobacco and leather, cracked peppercorn, a kiss of salt and dried flowers.
Finish: Medium-length with dried fruits and rich herbs.
Mental Image: Christmas Cake for the Beach Bonfire.
Conclusion: Overall, a lovely affair. I initially tried this blind and guessed it was youngish, heavily sherried malt from Glengoyne (some of the coffee notes brought to mind my favorite teapot editions); however, reviewing the list of possibilities my friend shared, I thought it might be the Aberlour A’bunadh. The malt did not strike me as particularly Aberlour-ish; there was no grassy or herbal character, but I know those are sherried releases, and this was quite sherried.
It turned out this was a 6-year peated Arran for Royal Mile Spirits. It was at least sherried, so I got that right, and I suppose if I had taken the time to check the casking of the spirits on the list, I might have figured this out. The fact that this was a peated spirit from Lochranza certainly explains why I got so much coffee and wood char. I have had a few unpeated sherry monsters that pulled off similar flavors, but the fact that this was peated makes much more sense. Ironically, I first tried this shortly after finishing up my notes on a 25-Year Arran.
A solid sherry-driven experience with fairly straightforward notes that never veered too sharply into lacquered wood, funky leather, or candied sugars. To that end, the whisky was fairly well-balanced and, therefore, easy to drink— I suspect this would make for a lovely sipper and the sort of whisky you could pair fairly easily with food.
I have had mixed experiences with the peated Arran spirit from Lochranza— a few were terrific, and a few were some of my least favorite Arran of all time. So I chucked this one up as a win and found it growing on me each time I returned to it. I am looking forward to trying some of the malts now being bottled at the sibling distillery down in Lagg. I think this will be a fun whisky to try against what comes out of there.
Final Score: 81.
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 