I think Arran are fantastic, for a new distillery they have been absolute trailblazers with a fantastic entry level 10 year old, a range of three NAS cask finishes, and NAS cask strengths in two offerings that are just excellent. The older liquid, maybe not as good, but the liquid is obviously from their first distillates and I expect their 18-25 year olds to improve over time. Where Arran get really quite exciting (but perhaps miss the mark a bit) is their “Rare Batches”. This afternoon I try my third. Following in the footsteps of the 15 year old Bordeaux (over oaked) and the 15 year old Argonne (to me, wonderful) is this 17 year old Calvados. Eight years after starting production, Arran released its first limited-edition Calvados Cask Finish expression. The Arran 17 Year Old Rare Batch Calvados Cask ups the ante. Arran single malt has been aged fully in Christian Drouin Calvados casks this time around. These casks are sourced from a family who have been Calvados in the region of Pont-l’Eveque in Normandy for generations. Interestingly I am informed that Calvados casks used to be illegal despite Arran using them in the past. Fortunately, now Calvados casks can be used officially. Just 4200 bottles were released at the end of 2022. Fortunately, some stock has come down under, and being an Arran fan boy I managed to get a sample. If I like it, I’ll get a bottle. Exciting stuff. Oh, and for anyone wondering Calvados is an apple or pear brandy, and during WW1 was requisitioned for making explosives due to the high ABV. N: Thick and sticky the nose is initially pure apple turnover. You can linger on that apple pastry and not leave, quite happily. But there is more to find: buttery and creamy custard, soft slightly aromatic wood where the aromatics are somewhere between jasmine tea and cedar or sandalwood (the same notes I found in Argonne). Honeyed Arran malt is the backdrop and holds some of the gentlest and shyest wood spice. Sit long enough and there is a milk chocolate there somewhere also. No hint of a high ABV comes across. Dry glass had an interestingly unpleasant gristy and sweaty smell, odd. P: First sip was slightly sticky with a honey like mouth feel. Instant wood spice prickles and wakes the palate up. Initial wood spice becomes wonderfully perfumed and floral. Apples straight from the orchard, more honey, vanilla and creamy fudge. Subsequent sips build a sticky sweetness with a backing drying tannic wood. Some of the Arran staple malt and ginger comes out with time as does a slightly nutty bite. There is a refreshing berry thread as well, it reminds me of a very watered down Rekorderlig strawberry cider. F: Long and sticky with a growing ginger heat. Light malty honey, apple (unsurprisingly) and perfumed wood notes. Seventeen years in a specially sourced oak barrel. It seems brandy/cognac casking can be hit and miss. The last Arran rare batches, also hit and kind of miss. This, I think I was expecting to be really rich and decadent but it was relatively superficial. I don’t deny that its clean, crisp, and delivers smacks of rich apple brandy character. However, it seems to fail to get going. I enjoyed the Arran characters of honeyed malt and ginger getting a look in. The berry freshness was hard to keep track of, that would have been a master stroke to make it more prominent, but it just failed to get going. What is here is well done, the stand out were the perfumed florals and aromatic wood, lovely. Major downsides, lack of depth and perhaps, like the Rare Batch Bordeaux, too much tannic wood presence. A solid drop, but I don’t think I’ll be dropping AUD$299 for a bottle. Reading my notes on the Balvenie 16 Pineau Cask Finish I am a little surprised to realise there is a very high degree of cross over with this Arran. Balvenie at one year younger and only a gnats fart of time in pseudo-cognac casks manages to capture the essence of this Arran for AUD$50 a bottle more. Where the Arran succeeds is in the floral and aromatic flavours which are slightly better here, and the unobtrusive high proof. [Distiller whisky taste #144] As a comparison here are my Arran scores to date and some comparable scores for psudo-cognac caskings and finishes. Arran 10: 3.75 Arran 18 (15 ml bag sample): 4.5 Arran 21 (15 ml bag sample): 4.25 Arran 25 (15 ml bag sample): 4.5 Arran 15 Rare Batch Argonne: 4.5 Arran 15 Rare Batch Bordeaux: 3 Arran 17 Rare Batch Calvados: 3.75 Arran Sherry Cask The Bodega: 4.25 Arran Quarter Cask The Bothy: 4 Arran Port Cask Finish: 4.25 Arran Sauternes Cask Finish: 4.25 Arran Amarone Cask Finish: 4.25 Machrie Moor (15 ml bag sample): 3 Balvenie 16 French Oak Pineau Cask Finish: 3.5 Starward Cognac Cask: 3.5 Port Charlotte CC:01: 5