islay_emissary
Arran 18 Year (Limited Edition)
Single Malt — Islands , Scotland
Reviewed
October 25, 2017 (edited October 10, 2022)
One of the highlights of our recent golf and distillery tour of western Scotland was the Isle of Arran. Nestled in the Firth of Clyde next to the Kintyre Peninsula and Campbeltown area, the island is both picturesque and a geological wonder. Like Scotland itself, the highland boundary fault cuts the island in half leaving a northern portion with rocky hills and the peak of Goat Fell reaching 2,866 feet. The southern areas are considered lowlands but still hilly. Arran distillery is located in the northwest corner at Lochranza, and they are currently building a second facility on the southern tip of the 167 sq. mi. isle at Lagg. Lochranza was chosen as the location for the original distillery due to its water source, Loch Na Davie, which they claim provides the softest water on the island and possibly all of Scotland. Since their inception, Arran has had a reputation for using quality casks and this is very evident on the nose with all of their expressions. For a young distillery (1995) they have also done a fair amount of experimentation with quarter and winey cask finishes. During our stay we tried a wide variety, including their rare 21st Anniversary and ArranTrust editions. Others included their new 18yo, the Port Cask Finish, Machrie Moor, Machrie Moor CS, The Bothy-Qtr Cask, 14yo, 12yo CS, 10yo, Lachranza Reserve, Sauternes Cask Finish, Amarone Cask Finish, Madeira Cask Finish, and a blend or two. If one could only use a single hyphenated word to describe the Arran distillery and their whiskies it would be “high-quality.” For this reason they have already attracted an impressive cadre of followers that swamped the distillery recently for the release of “The Exciseman,” which sold out in only two days and is already bringing twice the retail price at auction. We spent four days on Arran slowly enjoying the above listed with standouts for me being their new 18yo (blue label, copper lettering), followed by the 21st Anniversary, and, lastly, the peaty Machrie Moor CS edition. A few of my friends liked the Port Cask Finish best. My favorite, the 18yo, was bottled at 46% ABV, and aged in a mixture of ex-bourbon and sherry barrels. And, like everything else Arran does, is non-chill filtered with no color added. I found the nose on the 18yo to be both unique and superb. It was unusually spicy with unrecognizable elements and a cut above their other offerings. My guess is the extra time in the casks contributed to this, but it somehow didn’t translate the same way for their 21st Anniversary release, which is a combination of spirits from their first 3 bottlings (95, 96, & 97). The palate on the 18 was a smooth mix of honeyed vanilla, almonds, and cinnamon spices with just the right amount of heat to preclude water. The finish was, again, smooth and satisfying with hints of roasted barley and a tad sweet, but mostly dry. An excellent dram I would rate at 4.25 stars with the others being not far behind. Keep your eyes on these folks; they are climbing fast!
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Thanks Rick - my store has MM 7th batch (46%), and 3rd batch CS (58.2%) CS, so I might try both.
Cascode: The two sampled, according to the hotel, are as follows: “The Peated Arran Malt 7th Edition 2016 and The Cask Strength 2nd edition released 2015.“
Hi Cascode, while on Arran, we stayed at the Lamlash Bay Hotel. They stocked numerous Arran whiskies to include some of the rare ones no longer available. It was here that I tried the Machrie Moors, regular and cask strength. I was impressed with the level of peat smoke coupled with a high quality whisky, despite only a rating of 20ppm. I didn’t pay attention to the versions, but will email the owner, Surge, to see if I can get the info. We also tasted several flights of current stuff at the distillery.
Re: Highland Park - we managed to fit in a tour on the very last day of their visitor season and were the only tourists there that day, so had an extended tour with the guide. Great distillery that certainly lived up to expectations. I was surprised at how old a lot of their equipment is - some real Victoriana - the only comparable distillery was Springbank. We also got to Scapa, which was a delightful and relaxed tour as well. By the way - which Macrie Moor did you taste? One of the suppliers here has version 7 available now.
Ireland option also includes tours of Jameson & Guinness (Dublin) and Bushmills (Bushmills, NI). Done all 3; great tours. Lastly, we stayed at Bridgend Hotel in Islay. Excellent accommodations and people.
Pranay, I just remembered a 2nd option. Fly into Dublin. Drive to Northern Ireland (3 hours but gorgeous ride). Take high speed ferry from Ballycastle to Islay or Campbeltown, but can’t bring car. Golfers get to play Royal County Down (rated #1 in world) and Royal Portrush (host 2018 Open).
Cascode, you did HP up in the Orkney Isles? Bless you lad! Our farthest tour north was Glenmorangie in Tain (good one), but if you go there, you also get to play Royal Dornoch, rated number 5 in the world. :) Lee, are you listening?
Myself I'd always go in spring or autumn and avoid the high season crowds. Book distillery tours ahead and contact them to make sure the place won't be "silent" for maintenance etc. On Islay I thought the Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Kilchoman and Bruichladdich tours / tastings were the best. A great place to stay is the Bowmore House http://www.thebowmorehouse.co.uk/ outstanding facilities, breakfast and hosts. Book about a year in advance to get in. Elsewhere, Highland Park and Springbank have a great range of tours up to multi-day "experiences". Of everywhere we went the only really dull tour was Dalwhinnie.
Ah man I'd love to go back and do what you guys did. My wife actually also wants to go to Scotland again but sadly not for the same reasons as me...:-)
Also, June, July, Aug., warmest time to go. Favorites: Lagavulin warehouse tour (review coming). Arran & Laphroaig distillery tours.
Hi Pranay, unfortunately, there’s no such thing as a short trip to Scotland for a few distillery tours. If you take the time to get there, you need to stay awhile. It’s also a really tough call if you are trying to bring a wife and young kids along. If your kids are 15 or older then they might think the Feis Ile festival on Islay is cool, but I would wait until they reach that age to bring them. The 2018 festival starts 5/25 and runs until June 2nd 2018. It features songs, poetry, piping, food, traditional music, Gaelic lessons, golf, bowling and whisky tasting. The distilleries all open their doors to the public on different days as well. Also, Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg are all on the same road near Port Ellen with a walking trail connecting the three, but it’s a hike. The other thing to consider is about 16 hours of travel time to get there from US if you add in wait times for flights and ferry. Fly USA to Hearhrow, fly heathrow to Glasgow, drive Glasgow to Kennacraig, Ferry Kennacraig to Islay. With kids it would be best to spend a day sightseeing in Glasgow area to break it up. My wife liked both London and Dublin when we traveled there years ago, but I would have a though time trying to drag her outside of those shopping Mecca’s to visit distilleries and links courses, despite them being the most beautiful in the world.
I'm putting Scotland on my must-visit vacation plans. Rick----what month is best to go? And with two little kids in tow, I'd have to limit it to one or two distillery visits...which were your favorites?
Must find a bottle
Hi Cascode, the 18yo blue-label has yet to arrive in the states, but I will also buy it when it does. I plan to buy the peaty Machrie Moor Cask strength, which is now available here. Peated only to 20 ppm, but very noticeable and enjoyable. I need to give it another try.
Great review. I'd hoped to visit Arran on our recent trip but we just couldn't fit it in - the closest I got was flying over the island in a small plane on my way to Campbeltown, but it was enough to make me envious. My whisky purveyor has the new blue-label 18 in stock now, so it's going on the order list.
Thanks Camardicus! There’s a lot there but it covers 15 whiskies and an island tour. :)
Nice review!