Arran The Robert Burns Single Malt

Flavors are a wonderful balanced blend of sweetness and wood and spice. A little sugar cane, a little stone fruit. So much wood on the tail its almost bitter, approaching herbal and medicinal. Good richness, its like the goldilocks for flavors and richness. Magnificent balance, very enjoyable.

I don't know about you, but I'm getting to that point where I'm ready to stop buying whisky. Don't get me wrong, I love it. But I'm not seeing inflation. I'm seeing greed. The price increases in the last year alone are astounding. I bought a bottle of Legent a year ago at $35. It's now $50. I bought a bottle of Glenlivet Caribbean for $35 a few months ago. That too is now $50. I was just looking at getting another bottle of Knob 12 which I bought maybe 6 months ago for $60, and it is now $72. These aren't incremental cost of living increases. These are highway robbery. And in the back of my mind, I'm thinking fuck these distillers. Good as your shit is, your shit isn't good enough that I'm going to let you pick my pocket. I have maybe 60 bottles in my collection. I'm 43 years old. I'm trying to do the math to figure out how to parcel out my current collection to last the rest of my life. Then I remember, there's still a lot of inexpensive whisky out there that's good. Take this bottle for example. It's an Arran product. When it was around it was going for $33. Unfortunately when I bought this bottle, it was on clearance and hasn't been in local stores since, and it took me too long to open it. Had I opened it sooner, I would have realized this is perhaps the best sub-$35 bottle of whisky I've ever had. A nice sherried roundness to the nose, not terribly complex but fruity. The palate is strawberries and cream and the finish is long enough to feel like I've just tasted a delicious desert. And the best part is, for the delight it gives me, it doesn't break the fucking bank. So maybe I'm not buying whisky, maybe I'm just shifting my perspective. Maybe complexity is overrated. Maybe age statements are overrated. Maybe, what I'm saying, is I'm going back to researching what the best budget bourbons and ryes and scotches and irish whiskies are (notice I've left off Japanese because frankly budget and Japanese is an oxymoron). And that's it. this might be my shortest review ever. But it's also a manifesto. If you see reviews of complex expensive shit on here going forward, it's likely because I already own it. My overindulgence is done.

I have overlooked this for a long time as I did not realize it was an Arran product. It was always under $40 I just figured it wasnt worth my time. Saw it at the Twin liquor sale for 33 so picked up the bottle and read it was Arran that was all I needed. I enjoy everything from Arran and will always buy what is available. This punches way above weight class. Nose is rich fruit with nice heavy malt and seasoned wood. Not bright or thin despite suspected youth its full and rounded. Palate is creamy malt and dried apricots simmered in some baking spices. Red grapefruit sprinkled with sugar and barrel tannins lead to finish that fades the palate leaving a slightly dry malt/oak/fruit pit residue. A little sharp on the initial taste but not out of line. It has more of a blended malt feel with the notes mixed and not overly complex. Tremendous value I would say this is easily one of the best malts under $40 and I will certainly repurchase. I would of course prefer the 10 yr as well as other Arran offerings to this but the price point is the story here.........87/100......You get the bonus of Robert Burns story/heritage to ponder as well

Decent dram.