Arran 18 Year (Limited Edition)

Agree with tasting notes. Very smooth.

One of the highlights of our recent golf and distillery tour of western Scotland was the Isle of Arran. Nestled in the Firth of Clyde next to the Kintyre Peninsula and Campbeltown area, the island is both picturesque and a geological wonder. Like Scotland itself, the highland boundary fault cuts the island in half leaving a northern portion with rocky hills and the peak of Goat Fell reaching 2,866 feet. The southern areas are considered lowlands but still hilly. Arran distillery is located in the northwest corner at Lochranza, and they are currently building a second facility on the southern tip of the 167 sq. mi. isle at Lagg. Lochranza was chosen as the location for the original distillery due to its water source, Loch Na Davie, which they claim provides the softest water on the island and possibly all of Scotland. Since their inception, Arran has had a reputation for using quality casks and this is very evident on the nose with all of their expressions. For a young distillery (1995) they have also done a fair amount of experimentation with quarter and winey cask finishes. During our stay we tried a wide variety, including their rare 21st Anniversary and ArranTrust editions. Others included their new 18yo, the Port Cask Finish, Machrie Moor, Machrie Moor CS, The Bothy-Qtr Cask, 14yo, 12yo CS, 10yo, Lachranza Reserve, Sauternes Cask Finish, Amarone Cask Finish, Madeira Cask Finish, and a blend or two. If one could only use a single hyphenated word to describe the Arran distillery and their whiskies it would be “high-quality.” For this reason they have already attracted an impressive cadre of followers that swamped the distillery recently for the release of “The Exciseman,” which sold out in only two days and is already bringing twice the retail price at auction. We spent four days on Arran slowly enjoying the above listed with standouts for me being their new 18yo (blue label, copper lettering), followed by the 21st Anniversary, and, lastly, the peaty Machrie Moor CS edition. A few of my friends liked the Port Cask Finish best. My favorite, the 18yo, was bottled at 46% ABV, and aged in a mixture of ex-bourbon and sherry barrels. And, like everything else Arran does, is non-chill filtered with no color added. I found the nose on the 18yo to be both unique and superb. It was unusually spicy with unrecognizable elements and a cut above their other offerings. My guess is the extra time in the casks contributed to this, but it somehow didn’t translate the same way for their 21st Anniversary release, which is a combination of spirits from their first 3 bottlings (95, 96, & 97). The palate on the 18 was a smooth mix of honeyed vanilla, almonds, and cinnamon spices with just the right amount of heat to preclude water. The finish was, again, smooth and satisfying with hints of roasted barley and a tad sweet, but mostly dry. An excellent dram I would rate at 4.25 stars with the others being not far behind. Keep your eyes on these folks; they are climbing fast!