Review by: Raygun

A single cask of Arran from the old days, their second year of distillation. Exclusive for the UK store Nickolls & Perks. It looked very dark from the pictures I’ve seen, and is no different in the glass. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 15 minutes.

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Distillery: Arran  

Bottler: Arran   

Region/style: Islands single malt Scotch

ABV: 49.3%  

Age: 24 years. Distilled on August 5, 1996 and bottled on June 10, 2021. 

Cask type: First fill sherry hogshead #1996/904, 277 bottles. 

Color: 2.0 treacle. Can barely see through it. Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.

Price: Originally £350 at Nickolls & Perks

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Nose: Whew, that’s powerful. Grapes and figs foremost, brightened with a bit of orange and lime. Damp forest, cherry juice. Black tea. I could easily believe this was an old cognac.          

Palate: As intense as the nose, if not more. Lots of oak, grapes, figs, cherry juice, cranberries, and some orange. Heavy oak spiciness. Some hoisin sauce and oloroso mustiness. I do think I would guess it’s yak blind. Hard to notice much malt behind the oak and fruit flavors. Tried water, but it reduces the fruit. Better without, I think. 

Finish: What do you know? There’s a lot of oak. Some of the fruit flavor lasts, grape jelly And cherry juice especially, and the hoisin sauce. Turns leathery. Old furniture. Hints of the cellar-like musty taste. Breakfast tea. Spice picks up with water. 

Conclusion: This is a sherry beast. 24 years in a first fill cask is a bold move. If heavy sherry and oak are your thing, this will bring it. I prefer a somewhat lighter approach in Arran, with less oak. I feel that better suits their distillate. Not ultimately to my taste, but might be appreciated by others. 

Buy a bottle? See it on auction now and again, but I’ll pass.

Score: 77

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
• 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)