Soba45
Arran Amarone Cask Finish Single Malt
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed
February 1, 2019 (edited March 9, 2019)
The nose is interesting. Strawberry, berry liquor.. it's one of those times I really get annoyed I can't put a finger on what I'm tasting or smelling. There is something else it reminds me of. Stronger on the ethanol but a few drops of water calm it down. The finish is strong enough to almost balance it out. It's not crafted nearly as well as the Balblair I had last night. I think I'd compare it to the Tyrconnell 10 sherry. Loads of flavour but rougher round the edges; if you'd had a few drams you'd definitely rate it higher than if it's first up as your tongue needs to be numb to the ethanolly nature. I'm not a nose man but I prefer the nose to the palate in this case. If I could vapourise and inhale this one I would. Red current gummies someone noted which matched what I smelt or sweet fruit compote (wohoo I had an original thought). It's almost like someone crossed mild chilli peppers and strawberries. Anyway off my meandering soapbox and on to rating. Nose 4.5. Taste 3.5...rating 3.75 it is. A rare dram where the quality of the nose pulls the palate off the floor, dusts it up and makes the combined package more than average. Afterthought: I went away did drunk dad trampoling with the kids and tried it again. Taste improved a fair bit..psychology, air, my tongue numbing to the ethanolliness or the chimay and garage project dessert lager all started kicking in..or something else but I've adjusted my taste rating up to 3.5. Overall rating stays the same.
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@Jamesvernon23 I now often just read other tasting notes prior to or during a tasting to help with the identification process. I also suffer from lack of creativity so it also helps me from being stuck with the same old descriptors each time... and there is the problems memorizing new descriptors... its a hard job :-)
OMG, you hit the nail on the head with the nose. I know what it smells like, but I can't describe it. . . INCREDIBLY frustrating!!!
@Soba45 yes I think my opinion will fall in that range as well. So far the 14 is good not great. I was surprised to get a 14 year old single malt non chill filtered at 46% abv at that price point. That’s why I initially pulled the trigger.
@deuce26 No worries :-). Yeah it's not a distillery that'll ever make my top 10 or even 20 I think. On the other side it's also not a distillery to avoid if something interesting looking pops up in their range. Their std line is solid and their finishes that I've had are stronger on the flavour but not that refined. They are on the cheaper side though so to be expected. I have a higher end 20 yr Explorer series dram to try which should be interesting.
I’m a few drams in to the standard 14 year expression. Not ready to rate it yet but was curious about this distillery. Thanks for the review.