Nose: Warming, hearty malt, beef bouillon, stewed prunes, fig jam, vanilla, clean fragrant wood, daydreams of oloroso and PX sherry. A very pleasant and fullsome nose indeed. Palate: Sweet for a fraction of a second on the arrival (coffee crystals? Demerara sugar?), then gaining a little heat and ginger spice as it moves into a dry development with the foundation malt surging to centre stage. A fruity change mid-development as dried apple, baked peach, preserved figs, sweet dark chocolate, dark cherries and slightly bitter orange appear followed by a quick return of the lighter sugary sweet notes from the arrival. The texture is mouth-coating and full but balanced by mild astringency from some supple and very adroitly handled tannin. There is a very subtle liquorice note in the background that is supurb. Finish: Long. Malt extract, dusky fruit and bittersweet citrus, fading into a satisfying aftertaste that keeps rolling along with lingering sherry influences. Lovely whisky with excellent progression. I last reviewed this here in mid-2019 but that was for the old bottling, which was quite different in my opinion. It had a drier character and the body was heftier and almost chewy. This expression is softer and shows more citrus tones, and it is also slightly sweeter and more “rounded”. The sherry cask influence is exemplary - at no time do you notice sherry as a component but its influence permeates every part of this very good whisky’s profile and is the basis for all the complexity and evolution that happens. Tasted from a 15ml sample. I was about to order a bottle but then saw the local price. It’s worth it and if I was a devotee of sherry maturation I'd buy one, but I can get Ledaig 18 and many other 18 year olds that are just as good for 2/3 the price so I don’t feel that compelled to have a bottle. Mind you, at $300 this stuff makes a laughingstock of contemporary Macallan 18. The real annoyance is that in the UK this sells for the equivalent of AUD$150. Grumble, grumble ... “Very Good” : 87/100 (4.25 stars) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally reviewed July 13, 2019 Note: This is a review of a 2018 bottle of Arran 18, which was a tall bottle with a gold and blue label. That image used to appear as the thumbnail for this listing but a while back Distiller replaced it with a picture of the new bottle style. This is misleading because the new 18 year old whisky is different in style. A new listing should have been made. Nose: Malt, rye bread, sourdough bread, walnuts - it's almost like the nose of a full-bodied stout or porter. There are fruity aromas (green apple and lemon juice) but they are dry rather than sweet and absolutely not floral. There are also grassy herbal notes. It starts off a little reticent but it's a very pleasing nose that develops excellently over time. As it rests in the glass a faint notion of sherry cask comes to mind. Palate: Sweet, rich creamy malt arrival that is voluptuous and soothing with spices that are warming rather than hot or bright. The development has some sweet stewed fruits and a flinty mineral note. There is a dry foundation under the sweetness that gives everything grip, but the very prominent sweet fruitiness of the earlier 18 year old is not present. Like the nose, the palate brings to mind a full, dark beer made from chocolate-roast malt. The texture is oily, chewy and seductive. Finish: Medium/long. The crisp malty palate subsides into a sweet aftertaste with the slightest hint of fennel or anise and a drop of lemon juice. The lingering aftertaste is uncannily like a milk stout. This whisky is the successor to the 2015 Arran 18 Year Old "Pure by Nature" expression which was a limited release and the last of a trio of special releases (16, 17 and 18 years old). This whisky showcases the mature malty side of the Arran distillate. I don't know the precise cask combination but I'd guess there is a focus on refill bourbon with a smaller proportion of refill sherry casks. Unlike the 14 year old this is most decidedly not a sweet fruit basket and the focus here is squarely on the malty character, which is reminiscent of Belgian dark fruit beers. The addition of water slightly emphasizes grassy, herbal notes but on the whole I think it spoils the whisky. This is quite delicious neat, and best taken that way. "Very Good" : 86/100 (4 stars) 200.0 AUD per Bottle