Arran 25 Year (Virtual Whisky Tasting - 51.2% ABV)

Nose: Musky red berries, dusky oak cask, sandalwood sawdust and peach tea are the immediate impression. With time to rest you notice dark cherries, dark chocolate and an ever-evolving oloroso sherry aroma. A touch of maritime brine appears after more time. Water brings out the fragrant wood notes and “blooms” the nose very well. Palate: Soft, warming arrival of berries, black cherry and malt, but the flavours are quiet and reserved. The development finds a gentle spiced orange note reminiscent of Amaro Montenegro, tea-cake with sultanas and orange peel, dried dates and figs, and some walnut skin bitterness. The texture is good and is improved by a drop of water, which also highlights a peppery flavour and develops a brown-sugar and treacle quality. Finish: Medium. Malt extract and mixed berry muesli bar. It trails to bittersweet cocoa powder and dry sherry notes in the aftertaste. Water extends the length. A very good whisky, but lacking a certain “wow” factor and eye-wateringly overpriced. I can buy literally nine bottles of any of the Arran cask-finished expressions for the same money as one bottle of this, and I would enjoy each of those other bottles more. The nose is a textbook old sherry cask affair, and for me the best part of the story. It has progression and evolves with time and dilution (but take care not to over-dilute). The palate was good, but less impressive. It also has layers and develops nicely but there is an evolving tannic note that unbalances it just a bit. Fortunately, it regains its composure in the finish, which is very good. I’m a fan of Arran whiskies but having now tasted some of the older expressions I have to say that I think they reach their apex (as age statement whiskies anyway) with the 18 year old. Looking at my tasting journal I've rated both the 21 and 25 year olds lower than the old 14 year expression, The Bothy, and all of the cask finished expressions. This is interesting because almost all these Arrans I like better are at least 50% abv, so it may just be that for my palate it’s a whisky that needs a certain intensity and vibrancy of youth in order to shine. (Oh, and before someone calls me out by saying that this 25 year old is 51.2% abv, no it's not. That is a mistake on the Distiller listing. The core range 25 has always been 46% but there have been Single Cask 25 year olds that were over 50%. Interestingly, there has never been an Arran 25 with a strength of 51.2%, as far as I'm aware). I should also note that all the samples of older age statement whiskies I've recently tried were from a virtual tasting set and were packed in small plastic bags (see photo) that held mingy 15ml samples. 15ml is not enough to allow you to really get into a whisky, and certainly not enough to taste it both neat and watered to various dilutions. I don’t like these plastic packs one bit and I wonder if that affected my tasting impressions? I also can’t help but wonder whether they do not preserve the whisky as well as glass sample bottles. Initially I was going to give this the same rating as the 21 year old, but I think it’s a fraction superior so I’m taking it up one percentage point which just pushes it across the 4 star line, but I would never consider buying a bottle at the price. “Very Good” : 85/100 (4 stars)

To finish my Arran exploration, I have a sample of a single cask 25-year old from cask number 1996 / 905 that was distilled on 05/08/1996 and bottled on 12/10/2021 at 50.2% ABV. The nose starts with a mix of creamy mango, dusty old leather-bound books and cigar wrappers then dark chocolate covered dehydrated figs and toasted macadamia nuts followed by musty grapes, pineapple and flambéed bananas that transitions to black tea leaves and freshly lacquered antique furniture with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with a mix of creamy mango, dusty old leather-bound books and cigar wrappers then a mild bitter spice that slowly fades to a spicy mocha, figgy pudding and toasted macadamia nuts followed by musty grapes, pineapple and fried bananas that transitions to black tea leaves and freshly lacquered antique furniture with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with caramelized bananas, creamy mango, charred pineapple, chocolate covered espresso beans, black pepper, dusty leather-bound books and polished antique furniture. This is an old oak forward dram that the tropical and sherry fruits are still discernible but almost overpowered by the old oak that has a mild bitter spice on the palate before finishing with an enjoyable mix of tropical fruits, earthiness and old oak. For me, this seems mildly over oaked that could have used less time in the cask to allow those creamy tropical fruits to be more prominent, but I could easily see how someone would love this if they are a fan of a more oaky profile with mild pepper and light fruits. Out of the small flight of Arrans I tried, I found that my favorite turned out to be the 15-year Argonne release but they were all delicious and I’d happily drink any of them again.

Isle of Arran Distillery Virtual Tasting Event – Age of Distinction (The Whisky Company). Fourth 15 ml sample of the night (4/7 N- rich creamy nose, sweet sultanas and figs, cherry darkness. P- pepper and brown sugar, orange peel, honey, fruit cake, some stone fruit and a creamy-nuttiness. F- medium. creamy, warming spices, dark chocolate, figgy sticky sweetness. Layers of complexity and a finish that keeps unravelling. Mouth feel is beautiful. The colour and nose are all sherry cask but the palate offers more nuance and interest than the, I guess comparable, 18. The peppery note, whilst enjoyable, is perhaps the slight imperfection here as it’s perhaps a tad big. Distiller whisky taste #40

Sweet & full of vanilla and caramel. A bit of melon like a cantaloupe.

350th review - didn't even plan this one to be an epic pour. I have a feeling this is the right whisky but the abv is wrong on this one. This is the 2020 release and their first standard 25 year release. I've had this open for a bit and finally getting around to review. I also have found Arran needs a few weeks to open up and I think we're good now. Nose - Red berries and a distinct bitter bite that reminds me almost of an irish pot still. Fruity jams that have sat in salt water with light hints of pastry and chocolates. Taste - This is just rich jam meets savory steak with fruity chocolate candies. The abv is perfect on this, warming rich, creamy mouth feel, I've never had a 46% whisky this rich and creamy. What's amazing is that everywhere on my tongue gets activated, and fully activated. Just swilling it around I'll notice even areas I rarely notice, almost puckering with intense notes from sour to sweet to savory. This is a complete tasting experience. This is absolutely jaw dropping. My only real complaint? Well the box won' close so it's worthless, couldn't even sand it down to fix it. 4.75 it's one of the best whiskies I've ever had.

Arran only started production in 1995 so this new release comprises its very first casks. The sample I tasted (labelled a mystery dram in the tasting pack for the Virtual Whisky Festival’s Arran session) was a cask strength 51.2% but the retail version is 46%. Both sherry and bourbon casks were used in its maturation. The nose is caramel syrup, brown sugar and poached pear. In the mouth, it’s chewy, with flavors of dark chocolate, a hint of pear and a faint cherry note. The medium-length finish tastes of chocolate powder. This is a delicious dram that rewards contemplation and confidently displays the best of Arran’s flavor profile, but I fear it will lose a little of its impact when diluted to its retail strength.

(Good Spirits Company, Glasgow - Virtual Arran Whisky Tasting, Friday 11th September 2020) Nose: Sweet & fruity, orange & wood Palate: Christmas cake, raisins & dates Finish: Creamy. Dark fruit - plum and cherry. Sours at the very end. Finished in sherry casks. This came 1st of the six whiskies tasted with 45/101 of the vote for favourite. At the time of the tasting this was not yet on sale. Due to be released early 2021.