Arran 18 Year

Review by: The Muskox

Is Arran still my favourite distillery? It probably was at one point. It’s been a… well, not so much a long journey with whisky than a very densely packed one, but at this point, I’ve tried loads of amazing whiskies from so many distilleries. I don’t really think any single distillery stands out as an absolute number one for me anymore.

Whatever. Arran makes great whisky, favourite or not. This is a recent (2020) bottling of their 18-year-old – a more sherry-forward version than the original with the handsome dark blue label.

Distillery: Arran.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Islands.

ABV: 46%.

Age: 18 years. Bottled in 2020.

Cask type: Sherry and bourbon casks.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: 1.4, tawny. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: Spicy and juicy. Sweet fruit flavours of guava, pineapple, tangerine, and grapefruit lead the way. Underneath is strong sweet caramel, saltwater taffy, Angostura bitters, . Fragrant wood and a bit of brine too – chlorinated hot tub steam in a cedar spa.

Palate: Medium-thick texture. Arrives with loads of fragrant citrus and caramel, then tuning to oak spice, vanilla, and nutmeg. Strong fragrant oak on the development, with cigar box and floral spice notes of cardamom and bay leaves. Milk chocolate and caramel chews. The fruit is further in the back here. Slightly salty.

The dribble of water adds some more salt on the development and maybe the tiniest hint of peat smoke.

Finish: Medium-length. Strong oak. Bay leaf and black pepper. Earl Grey tea, canned peaches, ginger ale, buttery pastries, and toasted marshmallows.

Possible SMWS-style bottling name: “Old Fashioned, island style”

Conclusion: Good, but not one of my favourite Arrans. It’s very sweet and rather oaky… the orange-caramel-oak-spice flavour combination strongly recalls an Old Fashioned for me. You do still get little hints of Arran poking through – the floral and tropical notes are welcome but too fleeting for my preference. This whisky has me yearning for the gentler touch of Arran 14, gone but not forgotten. I can’t believe it, but I think Fettercairn 18 might be the similar-but-better choice.

Final Score: 84.

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.

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