Arran Machrie Moor 5th Edition (2014 Release)

Rating: 15/23 I know nothing about this dram. I assume it's supposed to be a step up from Arran 10 or something, but I know nothing about it's finish, profile, etc. Adventure ahead! N: I can smell the smoke and peat immediately, along with a bit of salty seaweed. Although this isn't a peat bomb by any means, this smells like a whisky with personality, unlike Arran 10. I'm liking this one better already. The smoke is perhaps a little stronger than the peat, but the two are nicely balanced. They aren't mild, but they aren't overwhelming. The fruit still comes through in this, with that same sultana smell as Arran 10, along with a little bit of orang zing. I wouldn't be shocked if I learned that this is just a peated Arran 10. There's tobacco, licorice, a little bit of campfire, and BBQ. There's also salt, grain and hay, with a bit of a barnyard aspect. It reminds me a hair of Springbank 10. P: The smoke and peat are there, but they aren't as strong as I expected. The seaweed is pretty substantial up front along with kind of a sweet and bland flavor, then I get a kick as the peat burns its way in. It starts off with a bit more of a neutral smoky flavor, but then the tobacco of the peat takes over. The sweetness might be sultanas, but it's difficult to place. That sweet character here is really disappointing because it lacks complexity and richness, but it does provide some balance. There is sort of just a sugar water element. On the malt side, I do get some grain and dried grass and salt and the whole profile is reasonably full. It's maybe a step down from the nose, but it's still good. It tastes young with sort of a white grape flavor to it even. The flavors here are decently complex and balanced, though a bit on the light and sweet side, which doesn't work super well here because the peat still squishes a fair amount of the base flavor. There's something astringent like a squeeze of lemon and grapefruit were worked in here somehow. There's this underlying fragrant floral vanilla character to this that can be a hair distracting at times, but it generally OK. F: The smoke and peat persist onto the finish, with a richness from the smoke adding some nice savoriness and working in with some graininess. The peat's tobacco flavor is perhaps a bit too aggressive, but it's OK. The grain and salt persist to a lesser extent, as does a general sugary sweetness, though it's lacking in detail. That floral vanilla does waft through occasionally as well. This is a substantial improvement over Arran 10, though I wouldn't say that it's an exceptional whisky. It tastes young and the more island and Islay characteristics sort of just flop over it a little, obscuring the details underneath. It's also fairly mild for a peated whiskey, but usually mild ones showcase some nice character of the grain or barrel like Amrut Fusion or Hakushu 12. It tastes a bit like this is trying to be Springbank 10, it's lighter with less personality (though perhaps as a result it isn't as apparently sweet). It also reminds me of Talisker 10, but Talisker has a bit more personality. I wouldn't say that Talisker is massively better though. Springbank 10, on the other hand, is massively better. I'm thinking 14 to 16 on this one, with 16 being a bit of a stretch. I think I'll go with 15.

I recently discovered Arran as something really positively different and very enjoyable. But I also like lightly and medium peated whiskies. So I got a bottle of the 7th edition from a monthly sale at my local whisky store (just two days before it had to close because of COVID-19). Nose: wooden chimney fire smoke but only at a slight level (this is a I would say medium peated whisky), very direct and not much playing around, very sweet and light fruits, pineapple, grapefruit, fruity trail mix ... all in all very delicate with a very well integrated peat. On second nose there is a lot of vanilla. Lots of vanilla in playful harmony with the smokey peat. Only little flaw is that it isn’t very intense or deep and more on the light side of nosing aromas but that is nothing too upsetting given the assuming young age (being a NAS). Palate: first a welcoming sweetness, getting oily quickly, citrus, grapefruit juice and heavily roasted crispy bread, dried plums / prunes, a slight peppery burn, a good amount of smoke that is increasing with every sip making tis whisky much more serious than on the first impression, but it remains very delicate in combination with the nose adding new layers every time. A few drops of water broadens the range and makes it more accessible. Finish: short to medium with a smokey after taste - what remains in the end is a vibrant peaty smoke and burned sugar I am happy I got a bottle of this one. It didn’t disappoint and even though I was expecting something else, it definitely is a whisky I will happily return to frequently. A very nice surprise and experience.

I already talked about the great Arran Machrie Moor, Fingal's Cut, heavily peated single sherry cask; and now it is time to rate their younger brother; called only "Machrie Moor", with a strength of 46%abv, which is the main difference between the two expressions. Machrie Moor is the black "milk-looking" bottle, with the wolf on the label. On the nose, it starts with plastic, like a school plastic folder. Minty, pineapple, agave, ashtray. It is like a cactus. Pineapple juice; pineapple pie. Lotion for burnt skin. After a couple of minutes it smells exactly like a frosting of donuts. It actually smells cold. After a couple of sips, it gave me pond water. Milk chocolate. On the palare, starts with vanilla juice; pineapple. A pepper bomb and again this cactus note. Rose wlth spines? It tastes like that. Milk chocolate. Aftertaste is where the peaty notes appear. Sawdust, mild smoke. Scorched earth. Copper, salty, it fell a little in power after a couple of sips. On the third sip it gave me a full ashy note; amazing! It has been reborn. Overall, you just can't go wrong with Arran. It gives you lots of complexity and tropical flavors in every expression, and this "Machrie Moors" are also peaty which is always good in my books. A very solid single malt, my score is 88 over 100.

Really lovely. The nose offers up some peat and sea air (Islay light), but also a bit of vanilla custard. On the palate, there's a bright, fresh burst of malt that settles into a rich, almost fudgy vanilla profile, sprinkled with salt and just enough peat. Complex, engaging, and delicious.

Really enjoyed this. It needs quite a bit of time in the glass to open up but when it does it is a perfectly balanced and quite unique dram. The peat plays a background role and complements the sweetness. Very different to other Arran I have tried

Who let the dogs out?! Woof! Bought this one on a whim and full of apprehension. Now regretting not having a bigger whim then! Lovely peaty vanilla nose and some of it translates on the palate as well!