These are my tasting notes and thoughts for 4 Arran whiskies:
- 10Yr old Arranach handfill Chateau d’issan Margaux 58% ABV.
- 15yr old (Old malt casks) 50% ABV.
- The Sherry cask finish 46% ABV.
- Port cask finish 50% ABV.
10yr old Arranach Chateau d’issan Margaux hand-fill 58% ABV
Appearance
Nose
There’s lots of wood here, with perfume, ABV is very evident. Cranberries, a little foresty, black cherries, pastries are starting to come through. #thewhiskeychaps
Rose water, more wood, conifer/juniper, it’s also slightly vegetal for me. Fruits are here but they are taking their time to really come through. I’m also going to say blackberries, perhaps some tropical fruits, definitely becoming jammy. #thewhiskeychaps
After a few sniffs there is an uprising of icing sugar. Red apple and summer orchards. Softer aromas are making themselves known now #thewhiskeychaps pic.twitter.com/oiHPfc4rDq
— Whisk(e)y Chap 🏴🥃 (@whiskeychap) September 2, 2021
Palate
Ohhhh warming and spicy, nose didn’t give that at all. Lemon sherbet sweets, white pepper, green grapes, then raisins, Victoria plums, Dr Pepper, ginger nut biscuits, cinnamon and cardamom. #thewhiskeychaps
Finish
Long side of medium in length, lots of cherry, char, light tannins, black coffee, anise, ginger root, grapefruit, blackberry pie with vanilla custard. The drying glass is full of sweetness, sweeter than it did with whisky in it. #thewhiskeychaps
My thoughts
I really enjoyed trying this hand-fill, my first Arran hand-fill in all honesty, and what a belter of a dram. It has loads on the palate, plenty of spice, lovely and warming with lots of depth, i’m so pleased that iv’e tried it. A dram i’d like to have had a bottle of to be honest.
Notes – This whisky is natural in colour, non chill filtered and cask strength.
15yr old (Old malt casks) 50% ABV.
Appearance
Darker gold again, nice thick swirl line and slow thick legs. #thewhiskeychaps
Nose
Balsa wood, cherries again, dusty, lemons, icing sugar, there is a fruit sweetness that I don’t recognise atm. #thewhiskeychaps
Pastry is coming through on this one too, and vegetal also. #thewhiskeychaps
Definitely 👍 #thewhiskeychaps
— Dram it Mick! (@StillSurreal) September 2, 2021
Palate
Again nice and spicy, not quite as bold as the hand-fill still nicely warming. Jamaican ginger cake, blood oranges, prunes, vanilla crown pastries, becoming spicier with time too. #thewhiskeychaps
Dark chocolate, dates, black liquorice too. #thewhiskeychaps
100% 🤘#thewhiskeychaps
— Dram it Mick! (@StillSurreal) September 2, 2021
Finish
Very woody, chocolate, cranberries and a drying, grapefruit again, I’m detecting a theme here.
My thoughts
Another cracking drop of Arran whisky here. Bold, spicy, and bringing pastry notes with it on the palate, yes i love this bottling, and would have a bottle.
Notes – This whisky is natural coloured and non chill filtered.
The Sherry cask 46% ABV.
Appearance
@Arranwhisky sherry cask finish A – More of a mid gold in colour, with slowly forming teardrops and several thick legs. #thewhiskeychaps
The Sherry cask finish 2016 46% ABV appearance: Honey gold, crisp and clean. Quick thick legs form and ooze back to the surface when swirled. Looks lovely! #thewhiskeychaps pic.twitter.com/RWny3YmAGh
— Whisk(e)y Chap 🏴🥃 (@whiskeychap) September 2, 2021
Nose
@Arranwhisky Sherry cask finish N – The colour is quite light, the nose has more influence than I expected tbh. Linseed oil, damp leaf litter, vegetal, seared pineapple chunks, foresty again for me. #thewhiskeychaps
I’m getting almost an overall speyside feel to this, time is bringing more Sherry notes but it’s no Sherry bomb. This is dusty too, wood treatments for me. #thewhiskeychaps
Palate
Gently spicy, it shows that it’s a finish, after all it is. It does become spicier with time, dark fruits are here, mince pie filling, with cardamom, icing sugar, tobacco leaves, black pepper, and grapefruit again. #thewhiskeychaps
I agree, more warming than spicy, I like it tbh. #thewhiskeychaps
— Dram it Mick! (@StillSurreal) September 2, 2021
Finish
@arran whisky Sherry cask finish F – Quite long, still warming, cherry Bakewells, interestingly some bitter lemon now, espresso, dates, raisins, pontefract cakes, liquorice. #thewhiskeychaps
The last drops offer cigar leaves, and a sweetness, like blackberries, citric and sweet. #thewhiskeychaps
My thoughts
I found this to be a more subtle dram in regards to overall character. It is a nice dram there is no doubt, and i would have been interested in buying one back in the day, price would have decided it for me.
Notes – This whisky was finished in Ex Oloroso cask, is natural colour and is non chill filtered.
Port cask 50% ABV
Appearance
Mid ish gold with a slightly red hue, the swirl line beads up immediately, and again nice thick legs. #thewhiskeychaps
Nose
Noses higher than 50% ABV for me, this one comes across as a bit of a dirty dram. Toasted tea cakes, a tinge of cap gun caps, plenty of wood, fields of dry grass, pine needles. #thewhiskeychaps
Cereals and grains, not much in the way of fruits atm. Oily, linseed oil, new cricket bats, cigar leaves, dusty and leaning towards leather. #thewhiskeychaps
This one has th nicest balance of alcohol at 50% #thewhiskeychaps
— Whisk(e)y Chap 🏴🥃 (@whiskeychap) September 2, 2021
Palate
Lots of cask influence, and red berries are here, red apple skins, nice mouthfeel and quite spicy. Black grapes, cranberries again, quite creamy. Warmingly spicy, ginger root, dandelion and burdock. #thewhiskeychaps
Definitely becoming spicier, leaning towards chest warming, and fisherman’s friends. #thewhiskeychaps
Again, the flavour is delivered in an intense hit. It strikes all at once, rather than as a blanket of flavours that you normally experience #thewhiskeychaps
— Whisk(e)y Chap 🏴🥃 (@whiskeychap) September 2, 2021
Finish
Lots of darker fruits with re apple skin, lovely and warming still, and quite long in length too. A very nice dram tbh. #thewhiskeychaps
My thoughts
We both really enjoyed this dram, we both found it the best balanced of the 4, the ABV is perfect. Overall the flavour profile was the best in our opinion, and i need to do deeper individual tasting notes for each. I’d definitely have a bottle of this one.
Notes – This whisky is natural in colour and is non chill filtered.
Overall tasting thoughts
We decided to vertical taste these, including an indie bottling and a hand-fill, to get a broader view of Arran whisky, as we haven’t tried many, and they are rather good. We should do another vertical tasting of their core range too, a tasting for the future i think.
Thanks to – Derek Mather from the Artisan modern Scottish restaurant in Wishaw for getting these samples to us, their website is available here.
Image credits go to Whiskybase, Masters of Malt and The Whisky Exchange.
Follow @Arranwhisky Follow @thewhiskeychapsNow for something completely different
Continuing my whisk(e)y and music thing, songs iv’e listened to either during my tasting or review. I hope you enjoy this one.
