Tasting some old Arran

August 26, 2013

Tasting some old Arran

Yes I know, Arran just cannot be old as they started distilling in 1993 (correction, that's building, distilling started in 1995), but these expressions are more or less the oldest one could find these days!

Isle of Arran 15 yo 1997/2013 (46%, Chieftain's, butt, cask #935, 786 bottles)

Colour: straw. Nose: we’re pretty much on a bag of fresh garden fruits (apples and peaches, then pears) plus a mixture of vanilla cream and muesli. Also a wee coastal touch ala Bruichladdich, maybe. An easy, clean, fruity nose, with a feeling of fullness despite the relative simplicity of all this. Mouth: very simple and very excellent at the same time. Proof that complexity is not obligatory in malt whisky. So a creamy vanilla is blended with honey and various fruit syrups, which makes the whole pretty, er, syrupy. Pear, apple, tangerine, also a little cane sugar syrup… It’s all very easy and very sweet. Finish: medium length. Sweet barley, tangerines, touches of nutmeg. Comments: flawless ‘young’ malt whisky, with a lot of sweet malt and fruits. What’s not to like? SGP:541 - 85 points.

Isle of Arran 16 yo 1996/2013 (46%, The Maltman, oloroso sherry, cask #1094, 391 bottles)

The Maltman also had a 14yo that I still have to try. Colour: light gold. Nose: this is easy, it’s the Chieftain’s plus touches of sherry. So same fruity notes plus muesli, but we’ll add a little tobacco, walnuts and touches of ‘old wardrobe’. Tarte tatin (make that apple pie). Very nice. Mouth: same comments, exactly. Creamy fruitiness and honey plus more herbs and mild leather and tobacco. Some marzipan too, almond cake, sweets, zesty liqueurs (lemon and such). Works very well. Finish: quite long, with a pleasant grassiness bringing that extra-length. Comments: truly excellent, again with this malty sweetness that’s so easy and appealing. I’d say we’re somewhere between Bruichladdich, Balblair and (rather unsherried) Aberlour. SGP:551 - 86 points.

Lochranza (Arran) 16 yo 1996/2012 (52.8%, Blackadder, Raw Cask, hogshead, cask #51, 309 bottles)

Colour: straw. Nose: ouch! This is much less easy because there’s some huge nail polish remover, so acetone, varnish, wet paint… Behind all that, some crisp touches of not-too-ripe kiwis, lime… And then a lot of mint tea, Moroccan style, probably from the oak. Quite a beast! With water: changes a bit, becoming bourbony and gentler, but the varnishy side never completely disappears. Mouth (neat): strong and astringent, with some lemonade and pepper plus a feeling of vanilla cake. A varnishy side again, grass, peppercorns… Not an easy one indeed when neat. With water: more sweet vanilla, and less varnish, but also something more porridgy. Finish: quite long, nicer, zestier. More typically Arran. Comments: water helps here, maybe the spirit is a little too estery to stand high strengths? SGP:551 - 80 points.

Isle of Arran 1996/2013 (56.3%, Malts of Scotland, sherry hogshead, cask #MoS 13002, 249 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: the exact opposite of the Blackadder, so we’re much closer to the first two, except that this one has more creamy vanilla, acacia honey, praline, cappuccino… Although these notes of mint tea do arise again after a few seconds. Also white chocolate. With water: more mineral notes, rocks, limestone… Even a little clay or chalk. I like that in my malt. Also marzipan. Mouth (neat): only honey! Right, and vanilla, then chlorophyll and touches of bitter sawdust. In the background, pear and pineapple drops. Estery. With water: plain fruit syrup and barley water. It’s very sexy, easy, sweet, coating… Finish: long and, just like the other ones, a little zestier. Honeyed aftertaste. Comments: It’s always nice to have a zesty finish and aftertaste. A very good Arran to pour to beginners because it’s so easy and good. Experienced maltsters will like it too! SGP:651 - 86 points.

Bonus: Arran’s Bere Barley. I’ve regretted I couldn’t compare this baby with Bruichladdich’s Bere when I had that one. Ah well, nothing is perfect.

Arran 2004/2012 'Bere Barley' (46%, OB, Orkney Bere)

Colour: straw. Nose: lovely! Bags of fresh zesty fruits, lemon, gooseberries, yellow peaches (not the sweet juicy ones), with a grainy/cerealy side that’s well there in the background but also rather less ‘invading’ than in Bruichladdich’s no-less excellent bere, as far as I can remember. I have to say this fruity freshness comes as a surprise to me. There are also lovely touches of fresh herbs, angelica, dill, citronella, verbena, lemongrass… Lovely lovely! Maybe even a little caraway. Mouth: excellent! More character now, more spices, always these zesty touches, a lovely creaminess, various honeys, touches of ginger, caraway again, vanilla, a slight earthiness, probably agaves, even sugar cane, chamomile… All much to my liking. This malt never stops unfolding, which usually happens more with (much) older whiskies. Also superb notes of citrons and grapefruits. Excuse me, but wow! Finish: long, superbly fresh and clean, zesty of course, with an expectedly spicier aftertaste. Maybe an excellent curry? Comments: I’m so sad I couldn’t do a head-to-head with the Bruichladdich. It’s impossible for me to tell you which I like best, so same score! I think the Arran is a little easier and a notch sweeter, but it’s also bottled at a lower strength (the Laddie’s at 50% vol.) Oh, and sadly, I haven’t got any of Michel Couvreur’s Bere either. Maybe you know that Michel Couvreur passed away on August 17 this year. RIP! SGP:461 – 90 points.

Check the index of all Arran I've tasted so far