Arran 24 Year (1996) Premium Cask (The Whisky Exchange pick)

Review by: The Muskox

Arran is usually a sure hit for me, especially at this age. Expectations are high for this bottling.

Distillery: Arran.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Islands.

ABV: 53.4%. Cask strength.

Age: 24 years. Distilled July 19th 1996. Bottled March 3rd 2021.

Cask type: Cask #757. No cask type is disclosed, but I’d assume this is a first-fill sherry cask.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: 1.5, Auburn. No colour added. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: Heavy and sweet sherry. Candied cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and orange. Lots of cinnamon and candied ginger. A dried-fruit depth almost like dried chilis. Bee pollen.

Palate: Medium-light texture. Arrives very sweet and sherryish with orange and berries, but builds to layered wood notes and spice. It never loses a syrupy sweetness – Swedish Berries and cola. Pralines and a hint of smoke.

Finish: Woody and lightly smoky, with lingering oiliness. The honey finally comes out here. Glazed fruit tarts, orange bitters, and allspice. A little leather.

Conclusion: I don’t know about you guys, but I found this to be a disappointingly sweet and cloying example of Arran. The extreme modern-sherry sweetness really does the malt a disservice. I like the twinge of smoke. I’m not sure if I’m missing something with this dram, but through three glasses over three nights I’m still struggling to find the complexity. While it’s certainly not bad, every other Arran I’ve had at this age has been better. The NAS “The Bodega” bottling is probably better. Other people seem to like this bottling a lot more than I did, so there may be something wrong with me.

Final Score: 80.

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.

Leave a comment