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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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April 27, 2021 |
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That would be as many Arrans as we can, in no particular order, rather anarchically, just for the cause. We all know there are some excellent Arrans, let's just hope we shan't stumble upon too may loco wine finishings… Remember, in whisky, merlot and zin, for example, can kill! |
Eenie meenie… Oh well, honour to whom honour is due… |
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Arran 25 yo 1995/2020 (46%, OB, 3000 bottles) 
The bottle is superb, the price maybe a little less so. This is a combination of bourbon and oloroso, further married for one year in sherry hogsheads. What's sure is that this is the oldest Arran I've ever tasted. Colour: copper/amber. Nose: starts with a bowl of sour cherries and a clear vinosity, on old barriques and a little balsamico. I'm also finding many red berries, which come totally unexpected, raspberries, mulberries, also rosehip, dried pears, whiffs of dunnage, blood oranges, drops of fino… This is not what I was expecting, on the other hand I think it worked, it's just, well, very singular, with obvious wine impact. Mouth: cherry clafoutis, once again, cherries in kirsch, then mead and triple-sec, elderberry syrup, and a feeling of arrak. Then more blood oranges, more eglantine tea, and just preserved morellos. Are we sure this has never met with a single dollop of pinot noir? Finish: medium, with a little more malt and raisins, café latte, butterscotch… I short, it fell in line. A salty touch in the aftertaste. Comments: let's keep an open mind, this is not what we were expecting from a new 25 yo, but it's not lacking courage and opinion. The idea was strange but it was well executed.
SGP:551 - 86 points. |
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Arran 'Sauternes Cask Finish' (50%, OB, +/-2020)
Sure we're no suckers for wine finishings but we do know that Sauternes works well. This wee NAS has some braille on the label, Chapoutier-style, which may indicate that not all whisky business will be done online post-Covid (strange reasoning, S.). Colour: straw. Nose: indeed this works, with crushed bananas, mirabelles, peaches, apricots, finger biscuits, and maybe even a little champagne. Well, chardonnay – I know there's no chardonnay in Sauternes. Whiffs of honeysuckle too, maybe cider. With water: barley and cakes, that's what we were coming for. No obvious vinosity, for example it is much less vinous than the 25. Mouth (neat): really creamy, which I've always found very 'Arran', with some lemon marmalade, sunflower oil, a touch of fresh butter, custard, golden sultanas, more mirabelles… And bananas! Uncomplicated and good. With water: believe me or not, I cannot not think of Yamazaki. Is it serious, doctor? Finish: medium and rather all on barley and mirabelles. A little citrus in the aftertaste, all for the better. Comments: well, I liked this little NAS almost as much as the 25. It is very good and fairly priced. And it won't make you blind (tsk tsk…)
SGP:551 - 85 points. |
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Arran 'Sherry Cask The Bodega' (55.8%, OB, 2020)
Apparently, this is some young (7 or 8) Arran that's integrally aged in first fill sherry. So, hit or miss… Colour: deep gold. Rather pale despite the pedigree. Nose: fully, totally and integrally on damson pie or, as we say here in Alsace, tarte aux quetsches. A handful of Smyrna raisins too, raisin rolls, sweet ale… Pretty simple, but flawless this far. With water: gears towards ripe plums and jams. Preserved greengages and mirabelles. A very tiny bit of sour wood in the background, which is just nothing. Mouth (neat): I'm reminded of some batches of A'Bunadh, if that rings a bell to you. A little rough and hot, but pleasantly raisiny. Stewed peaches, pepper, cinnamon, raisins, fruitcake. A classic variation everywhere in unpeated Scotland. With water: well it takes water very well. Lovely sweeter, fruitier spices, Szechuan pepper and all that. Also those cherries that we had also found in the 25. Finish: rather long, rather fresh, with more raisins, Szechuan pepper, and overripe damsons! Comments: great surprise. Smart work on this one.
SGP:551 - 86 points. |
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Arran 14 yo 2006/2020 (53.5%, OB, Private Cask, for LMDW, France, sherry hogshead, cask #06/800485, 284 bottles)
This may be more special… Colour: amber/apricoty. Nose: starts a little lactic and even butyric, I'd bet this baby will need our time… Also blood oranges and a new pack of Jaffa cakes, certainly some rum (a salud to Foursquare), these notes of eglantine that we had found before, some bread, or focaccia, early grey, ripe plums… Well it does go into several directions but water should put some order here… With water: teas, leaves, peach tea, moist all-grain bread, hints of molasses, stout… But it isn't thick, don't get me wrong. Mouth (neat): very rich, sweet, a little hot, with some sour cherries once again, hawthorn tea, marmalade, peppered jams, spicy reduced grape juice (do you know ratafia?)… tarte aux quetsches… Once again it's a tad anarchistic, but that's not something we're not comfortable with. Yeah, so, with water: classic marmalade, cherries, Timut pepper, fruit bread… Finish: long and a tad spicier' and leafier. Comments: well I think is remains a tad rustic (sour touches here and there) but it is an extremely fine sherried tipple.
SGP:561 - 86 points. |
Let's try another sherried beast by the indies… |
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Arran 21 yo 1996/2018 (52.1%, Claxton's, sherry puncheon, cask #1843-939, 609 bottles) 
609 bottles, sweet puncheons! Colour: gold. Nose: probably not first fill sherry, which means that this is both subtler and fuller, more on balanced panettone and cakes, raisin rolls, vanilla cake, many breads, leaven, chamomile, honeysuckle, lime blossom, a little menthol and liquorice, roots (hey, black carrots?)… Nutshell, this is clearly more complex and fresher. With water: flours, breads, doughs, grist… That's just what the people want. Mouth (neat): perfect. Some minerality, barley, raisins, herbal teas, green spices, preserved greengages once again… Well this is just extremely good. No literature needed. With water: sweet citrus popping out, as well as some camphory kinds of herbs. Mi piacere very much. Finish: long, fresh, citrusy and herbal. A drop of olive oil in the aftertaste, nothing beats this. Fresh finishes always win over more pachydermic drams. Comments: not a sherry beast at all, I was wrong. Looks like this one just took the lead, but the session isn't over…
SGP:561 - 89 points. |
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Arran 21 yo 1996/2018 (50.2%, The Whisky Exchange, The Whisky Show 10th Anniversary, 217 bottles)
If the question is 'aren't we a little late?' the answer would be 'as always'. Colour: gold. Nose: ah, more plums, biscuits, shortbread, butterscotch, custard pretzels, IPA, well-kept vanilla pods (coz there's vanilla and there's vanilla)… No complains whatsoever this far. With water: some croissants on a bistro's terrasse in Paris, with three or four espressos. When we're allowed to do that. Mouth (neat): so very good, gently spicy (cinnamon and ginger) and ale-y dram, with some apple crumble cake and a little poiré (pear cider, pears are quite big in here), as well as a little muscovado sugar. Speculoos, crème brûlée… With water: all good, smooth, cake-y and with rather a lot of cider. A grittier background (walnut skins). Finish: medium, leafier. Maybe not my favourite part. Comments: extremely good, too bad it lost two or three points at the finish, which was a tad too gritty for me.
SGP:551 - 85 points. |
Let's see what the neighbours in Campbeltown had to say… |
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Arran 22 yo 1996/2019 (49.6%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, hogshead, 276 bottles)
I know Angus already tried this one but we shan't check the young partridge's notes! Colour: gold. Nose: some tiny diesely notes at first, then this bready extravaganza that Arran can display when they handle their casks with moderation. Orange cake absolutely everywhere and all the time, which is utterly perfect. Orange blossom, panettone again and again, baklavas… Mouth: huge Arran, you wouldn't believe this was bottled at less than 55% vol. Crystallised ginger, Breton chouchen (distilled mead), gueuze, crêpes while we're at it, I would even swear there is some buckwheat in there. Which would be illegal, right? Buckwheat isn't a cereal, is it? Some marc as well, some raw cognac… All things that are superb when balance was found. Which, incidentally, was the case here., perhaps by chance. Finish: perfect barley-y and fermentary ending, with good body and responsiveness. Very solid dram. Comments: as I just said, very solid dram, with a lovely rusticness.
SGP:561 - 88 points. |
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Arran 18 yo (46%, OB, +/-2020) 
Why are any distillers only publishing very stupid commentaries and tasting notes on their websites? I mean, a 'tremendous depth of character', what's that? Isn't Arran rather about balance? Versatility? Perhaps even freshness? Oh well… Colour: golden amber. Nose: exactly that, no deep character, rather some elegant, balanced cake-iness, with pastries and breads, oriental pastries, earl grey, honey and maple syrup, roasted chestnuts, Twix, cornflakes… Things like that. Oh and barley. Just saying… Mouth: just perfect, on black nougat and rancio wine, roasted peanuts (we call them chouchous), toasted brioche and just a wee touch of rubber in the background, suggesting some poorly seasoned 'sherry' wood's been in use as well. No problems. Finish: rather long, rather fresh, but this sour and rubbery bitterness is gaining prominence in the aftertaste. Too bad, some well-earned points are being lost here. Comments: still a very fine Arran.
SGP:461 - 84 points. |
Eight's a good number, we need a long break now, see you tomorrow. |
 Check the index of all Arran we've tasted so far
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