It is no mystery that Arran has become one of my favorite distilleries. They offer a tropical profile that feels so far from Scotland, it can actually transport you to the Caribbean sea. And that is actually what i expect from every Arran and i managed to get my hands on a sample of this 17yo whisky, that hit the markets almost a decade ago. Bottle at 46%abv, a beautiful gold color. On the nose, there is two times, two rythms. Starts with an incredible butterscotch aroma. Dehydrated tropical fruits and lovely honey. Some maritime/salty note has risen. There is some farm hay in the heart of the honey note. A Cake that its about to go rancid, like it is on the last day that you can eat it. Peel from citric fruits, pepper. Tobacco. After a couple of sips, a greasy note like ham has appeared. But then, after two sips, appeared this "third nose" which was completely different: impalpable sugar, chocolate, milk powder. Where were those sweet notes before?. UPDATE: I LET IT BREATH A LOT, like 10 minutes, and a thick, marshamallow vanilla has taken over all the aroma notes. On the palate, notoriously sweet and spicy. Toffee, caramel and salt. A salty butterscotch. Yellow apples, a little sulphuric note. Starts thick and sweet but quickly becomes salty and acid. Aftertaste is all about hay and caramel. Apples. A little grassy and salty. Hints of bitter cocoa. Very "cowboy", feels like you are in the old wild west. Bitter tobacco and burnt hay. Overall, this is a great dram, but the nose is way better than the rest of the criterias. Super enjoyable but a little simple in the palate and disonant on the aftertaste without losing too many points, this is a whisky that feels exactly as a 17yo single malt should be, with some matured notes and layers of different things, properly delivered to the drinker. My score for it is a very fair 88 over a 100.
About this bottle
Founded in 1993, the Arran Distillery lies upon the Isle of Arran, one of the southernmost islands of Scotland, coming just off the Kintyre Peninsula. With its quint coastal villages, northern snow-capped mountains and southern woodland, the Isle has more than once been said to be a “miniature Scotland”. Arran's 17 year was released as the second in a trilogy of limited releases after their 16 Year and before their 18 Year release. This was matured in ex-sherry casks.
How it tastes
Measured across 14 flavor axes. Tap a note to find other bottles that lead with it.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 6 parsed reviews.
Surprised to see an 80 and so few reviews. With the distinctArran style coming forward one gets in nose green, barn or stable smells and even wet sheep. Sounds awful, taste nice and complex. Interesting and perhaps less sherried than the 14 year old which is a favorite of mine
I'm with the expert reviewer here..very little going on here. Arran is a decent not to bad but not mindblowing distillery.. this is one of their poorer efforts. Faint green apple vanilla and ethanol
fantastic scotch. very subtle notes and a great drink that is well balanced.
green apple, almonds and citrus in nose, palate dry, herbal, little cherry
Y
Tastes like this
Closest flavor profiles across the whole catalog.
Method and Madness Single Grain Finished in Virgin Spanish Oak Casks
