Arran 10 Year Old
I was just about to state that this is the youngest distillery I have written about so far, as it was founded in 1995, but that would actually be a lie. It is, in fact, 4 years the senior of Mackmyra. It is the youngest Scottish distillery I’ve written about, however, and in my opinion that is enough to make it quite interesting! It is also the only distillery on the Isle of Arran – no points for guessing which distillery I am talking about now, it is, of course, Arran.
At 15 years old you may expect this distiller to be a bit of a rebel, sticking it to the man! You may even be prone to believe that the distillery was started in an attempt to show the big boys a new way of doing things; to provide a new take on the ever so traditional Scotch. Unfortunately that is not so, at least not with the 10 year old version. Considering how young the distillery is though, their product is quite good indeed – it is just not quite as… Fresh and invigorating, as one might have hoped. That, of course, is just my opinion.
The nose is initially smoky and salty, before settling into a sweet combination of vanilla and William pear and perhaps Graham biscuits. The palate is quite oily and medium-smooth, with a combination of flavors consisting of vanilla, fruit (pear, apple), smoke and spiciness. There is one more flavor, quite faint but intriguing, of chocolate syrup – I couldn’t quite put my finger on it at first, but I think that’s what it is. A very drinkable whisky, and in fact a fairly good one, I am just not sure if this particular expression has really brought anything new and interesting to the market. Perhaps I am being a bit harsh, but that is what I am thinking.
With that said though, I am quite intrigued by the newer Peacock Limited Edition bottling. I am yet to try it, but will hopefully be back with a review before long.
Color: Pale gold, light white wine.
Nose: Salt, smoke, vanilla, William pear, Graham biscuits.
Taste: Oily, vanilla, pear, apple, smoke and spiciness. Chocolate syrup?
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January 30, 2012 @ 12:49 pm
Actually, Arran 1yo is a fantastic whisky. I have no idea where the author got the idea of smoky nose as Arran does not use peat drying of the malt so no smoke is involved in the process. The first time I tasted this malt was on the ferry from Ardrossan to the isle of Arran. A fantastic experience indeed. For me, the major taste of this whisky is honey. It was the first think I smelled as well as tasted. An excellent light dram.