Arran Master of Distilling II The Man with the Golden Glass

Nicht rauchig, holzig, etwas zu stark

I really didn’t enjoy this one , it had an off putting sour note from the Sherry. Very disappointed

Arran tasting night at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 12 July 2019. Whisky #5 Nose: The nose features tropical fruits (mango, papaya, orange, banana) but they have a uniform over-aged and sickly, fusty aroma. It reminded me of a fruit bowl where the contents are just one day shy of rotting. There were also aromas of boiled cauliflower, boiled cabbage, old socks and some very broadly painted sherry aromas with a strongly walnut and red grape character. Palate: A semi-sweet arrival that is very grapey and rather drying. Yeasty, doughy white bread, strongly flavoured butter, bitter orange oil, cider vinegar and again a massive dry wine presence. The texture was full. Finish: Medium. A prominent semi-sweet sherry aftertaste. A very expressive, but for my palate not very attractive, single malt. The sherry note is big but aged and dusty, full of flavor but also dry and with an odd furry note. It's not like any sherry-matured or finished whisky I've tasted before. The casks used to mature this whisky were hand picked by James McTaggart (the Arran head distiller) from decommissioned solera casks at a Spanish sherry bodega (I was told the name but I can't recall it). This bodega produces palo cortado, which was historically an amontillado or fino that went wrong and was re-purposed to create a semi-sweet sherry. However nowadays palo cortado is an intentionally crafted product that is midway between amontillado and oloroso. Almost all sherry matured or sherry finished whisky is aged in seasoned casks and it is rare to use solera casks. They are difficult to obtain and can be unpredictable, either having a deep and robust quality but just as likely as much character as a steel tank. I'm sure there are some enthusiasts who would have a very different opinion to mine and would consider this a rare and uniquely profiled dram. However I was not at all partial to it, and I'm scoring it according to my immediate subjective impression. "Adequate" : 73/100 (2.25 stars)