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.