Stop number 27 on the SDT is The Isle of Arran. This distillery is part of the Islands region. This version of the 12 year cask strength is Batch #4, which was bottled in September of 2014 and comes in at 54.1% ABV. It is natural color of amber gold and is non chill filtered.
Initially on the nose there is an alcohol burn, but that's cask strength for you. It settles down to reveal warm citrus notes and orchard fruits. Apricots, pears, oranges, tangerines. Also some darker sherried fruits like raisins, dates and sweet syrup. Definitely some rich oak spices, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. More sweetness comes in with brown sugar, vanilla, toffee and a light maltiness. Strangely I picked up on peanut shells and a bit of earthiness, possibly a sign of some light peating. Towards the bottom of the glass I got a sweet cotton candy note, not unlike a bourbon. It takes more time and patience to pick out flavors in a cask strength whisky, but it's a good challenge.
The palate starts off with a nice peppery punch up front. Orchard fruits, mostly apricots, tangerines and plums. Some oak with cinnamon and brown sugar. It was hard to get much else due to the heat.
Full bodied mouthfeel. Oily, mouthwatering and a bit hot but not too bad.
The finish is long, spicy but sweet, like sherried peppers if that was a thing.
This is a very good cask strength scotch. Compared to the Springbank 12 year CS and the Glendronach CS it's much more forgiving and easier to pick out the flavors. Still, it doesn't let you forget that it too is cask strength. No real peat/smoke to speak of, which is something I expect from Island distilleries. This is my first from Arran and it was good. I suspect their standard bottlings would take on a more traditional Highland profile. A solid 4. Thanks to Scott for the sample.
Cheers