Arran 18 Year (Limited Edition)

A little boring

Toffee, granite, stone, pencil, smooth, medium finish, a little brine and salt at end

An interesting dram from Arran. Nose starts off a bit weak, but the palette is where it comes alive with flavors of salted caramel, brine, and chocolate—-all in layers. Would’ve been almost like a Talisker if it had that peppery kick as well. Would I buy a full bottle? Yes...if it was under $100.

This was a very interesting 18 year old malt from Arran. This bottle was once a part of a 3-year, limited run of a 16, 17 and 18yo malts, but it has now become a part of Arran’s core range. This one comes in at 46%, is NCF’d and has no color added. It’s a beautiful yellow gold and appears very oily, although it doesn’t create many legs at all. The nose was initially sawdust and fresh cut oak, even after 20+ minutes. There’s a bit of apples and cinnamon, but I had to work for them. Truly an apple pie on the nose. Unfortunately, I was hoping for more. The palate really came alive, though. Milk chocolate and oranges open things up with a perfect balance of sweet and citrus. The sugary sweetness really sets the tone for a nice dessert dram. Mid-sip a heavier than expected ginger bitterness crept in and ushered away the dessert notes and lead to a long and spicy finish. It remained oily, which was a big plus, while letting the chocolate notes linger on. A weak nose really doesn’t do this malt any justice. It’s a very good dram. Easily 4-4.25 stars. Seek it out. Cheers.