Arran Quarter Cask "The Bothy"

Note - I'm doing the Really Good Whisky Company Advent Calendar. I've also decided to pour these whiskeys "blind" (or at least as blind as I can), then providing nose, palate, and finish notes. I'll then look at the label, proof, cask type, etc. before writing my other notes. I'll be providing some guesses around things like proof and cask type and then seeing how much I missed the mark. Slàinte Mhath! Nose: Definitely Scotch - honeyed, toasted grains with cracked black pepper. Also definitely all malt - not getting any grain whisky on the nose. Green tea. There's a thread of what I *think* is smoke. Guessing this is lightly peated similar to, say, an Orkney. There's a moderate richness and density that's pleasant. Coffee grinds, vanilla, and fennel are making me think this has more oak going on than usual. Also getting some ripe berries with a touch of balsamic vinegar. There's a bright note poking out that's making me think this is going to be around 48% abv. New leather. Not bad. Palate: This one kicks you around a bit! Revising my guess and putting this closer to, like, 55% (watch me be TOTALLY wrong here). Honey, oak, brown sugar, vanilla, cereal grain. Green bananas and green tea. Menthol and eucalyptus. Hot cinnamon, warming nutmeg, and cocoa. Some slight floral, perfumed character. This doesn't taste super aged, but there's a high level of oak. Going to guess this is either charred new oak or this is a smaller cask, a la the Octaves from a few days ago. Wondering if that's contributing to the heat. There's a slightly vegetal green bell pepper in the back. Again, there's whisps of smoke, as well as what I think is phenol. This shows up on the front, mid, and back palate. Realtively balanced, though very midrange-heavy. Medium mouthfeel. Finish: Bright flash of tea, ethanol, and fennel. The honey and vanilla mingle in, and then the grain character shows up. We then shift into mint and menthol while that smoke is showing up again. There's a consistent oak note that's present throughout. We then fade away slowly on black tea, vanilla, berries, and cream. Some solid oil content contributes to this medium long finish. Other notes: I enjoyed this one. This particular expression is in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels for 7 years, then dumped into quarter-casks for 2 more before being bottled at 56.2%. Unpeated, which I got wrong, but I'm going to guess the high level of oak, barrel shar, and high proof is what tripped me up - actually JUST saw mention of the oak/peat paradox the other day. My guess around the casks was so close to nailing it - it was't either/or, but both! The age is unsprising, since there's not really any of that lingering "new-make" character you find from super young single malts. All in all, I'm pretty happy with my assessment here. Especially that proof call. I enjoyed this one quite a bit, to boot, which stands to reason since CS stuff tends to be my jam. Until next time, cheers!

Nose: (neat) Closed and tight, some woody cask aromas and malt but it's very restrained. There's a trace of honey and butter but they are masked by the ethanol. Over time a little more unfurls with lemon and grassy notes showing. Nose: (watered) Water brings out notes of fresh wood like newly-sawn planks, freshly mown hay, sunflower oil, lemon zest, pineapple and delicate honey, however it remains a very contained nose. The longer this sits to rest in the glass, the better. Palate: (neat) Sweet, fruity, heavy but again there is the feeling that it is locked up very tight. Some banana and coconut, and a little white pepper. Palate: (watered) It’s on the palate where water makes a real difference with the whole performance blooming and expanding immediately, however this remains a very fresh, crisp style of malt. Sweet citrus, coconut, honey, malt, tropical fruit, cereal, almond and cream. The mouth-feel is more full-bodied and it gains more heft as it rests after watering. Finish: (neat) Medium/Long. Sweet malty notes with lingering barley sugar sweetness. When watered the finish is not greatly changed, apart from becoming a little more dry with a hint of brine. Over time as it rests the finish becomes much longer with fresh, sweet citrus and orchard fruit in the aftertaste. Back before Arran had their great re-branding (around 2020 I think) they used to have an expression called The Bothy which was also quarter cask matured, however it was darker, more full-flavoured and richer than this expression. When the announcement was made to discontinue I managed to snag three bottles of the old Bothy Batch 2, and I’m glad to have them. Which is not to denigrate this whisky at all, on the contrary this is a very pleasant dram, both neat and when watered, and I enjoyed it most with dilution which I felt softened, released and amplified everything about it. That’s not surprising as I generally prefer my whisky under 50% abv, but here it was particularly so. I also noted with delight that this louches spectacularly when watered, just as the old Bothy expression used to. It's nice to see that Arran is still giving their spirits only the lightest of barrier filtration, and no chill-filtration. If adding water to this always wait for the “mist” to rise so you experience all the precipitated oils at their peak. If you don't see it, you have not used enough water - put more in. The whisky can take it and the louche is one of the delights of this expression. Tasted from a generous sample provided by @DrRHCMadden. “Very Good” : 85/100 (4 stars) just 2 percentage points and a quarter star down from the old expression)

Arran "The Bothy" is a whisky that, despite its younger age (finished for two years in quarter casks, after the initial maturation in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels for 7 years), manages to deliver. I am convinced that this has something to do with the use of the quarter cask and the overall integrity of this bottling; they deliberately chose to make this cask strength, naturally colored and non chill filtered. That's something I sincerely appreciate and actively look for. Nose - The nose is soft and youthful. There are many sweet elements present, such as vanilla, coconut, butterscotch and honey. This sweetness is accompanied by many different fruits, like roasted apple, pineapple, pear, grapes and raisins. Palate - Because this expression is bottled at cask strength, it makes sense that the first sips were very harsh. It immediately becomes a lot more accessible by adding a few drops of water. Just as on the nose, the sweet and sour elements were the most prominent as the dram was given some time to open up. Finish - This is the moment that the youthfulness of this whisky is the most prominent. A deliciously long and sweet finish that is not overly complex. Arran manages to amaze me again with this brilliant expression. This is a whisky that I would highly recommend to people who want to get acquainted with cask strength versions of their favourite malt brands and don't want to break the bank. "Enjoyable" : 3.75 stars | Well above average.

A quarter cask is a 125 litre oak barrel, that of course has more influence of the wood itself in the final flavor of the whisky, because there is a lot more oak for less whisky. This is important for everyone to know before talking about this very good Cask Strength expression from one of my favorite distilleries, Arran. Arran tends to have a fairly tropical spirit, and i am very curious to find out how a Quarter Cask can change some of the typical Arran profiles. Bottled at 56.2%abv, pale straw color. On the nose, the tropical notes are here, but enhanced. Pineapple, coconut, vanilla, lotion for burnt skin, cake fondant. After a first sip, the aroma changed into Tylenol and red fruits. On the palate, there are less than a handfull of tasting notes, but they are awesome. It tastes exactly as a cherry topping over a creamy "dulce de 3 leches". Chocolate, vainilla. Maraschino cherries. Super sweet. Aftertaste was very spicy and nice. Wasabi explosion. Vanilla, dulce de leche, salt and sulphur. Metallic notes. Rum and raisins. Overall, this is a very good single malt, very hard to beat at the price it is sold, which is not expensive at all. A great nose is followed by a hyper sweet palate and a spicy finish. I really believe that this is an offering that will always make you happy. My score for it is 90 over 100.

N: malt and butteriness but turned down a little compared to the 10. The cask strength is apparent, but not in an aggressive way. Rather, the nose is perhaps more delicate than the 10 with coconut and woody spice a clear result of the two years in quarter casks. A brightness from something akin to cut hay and citrus spray is lovely. I may be deceived but do I find rum and raisin ice cream? lovely. P: Oooh! It’s thick and lucious, oozing with coconut and nuttiness with pepper, milk chocolate and some stone fruits. Flavours come in a revealing wave with plenty to chew over and a refreshing menthol cleanness. F: Lingering gingery-cinnamon warmth with a drying astringency. To me this drinks like a little more of a delicate yet impactful Arran 10, the core flavours and textures are present in this quarter cask NAS but with more of a balanced share towards the spirit and the wood. The Arran 10 is more towards a spirit focus comparatively, to my barely amateur mind in any case. Side by side with the Arran 10 the Bothy is also noticeably lighter in colour. Forgot to add, adding water did little for me. Ginger softens and comes right up front with maybe a hint of canned pineapple but I am seeming to find that Arrans are to be drunk as nature intended, straight from the bottle without adultery. Distiller whisky taste #45

Natural Cask Strength - 56.2%, non chill filtered and natural colour. Nose: lime, fruit and honey. Palate: coconut, almonds, vanilla, oak and pineapple. Finish: medium with spices, vanilla and cinnamon. With Water: Nose: much more fruits, pineapple, tropical fruits and rich apples. Palate: apples, spices, vanilla, tropical fruits and bubblegum. Finish: medium-long with cinnamon and fresh cherries. This is a lovely dram from Arran it’s been aged 7 years in ex bourbon casks, followed by 2 more in quarter casks. It’s good with or without water, but I find the water really opens this up. Value for money is excellent with this being 5-10$ more than the 10 year old. This may be an unpopular opinion, I like the Arran 10 year old but find it to be lacking something for my taste. This quarter cask brings all the same flavours as the 10 year old but “turns them up to 11” which gets rid of any feelings of lacking I may have had. This and the Arran port casks might just end up as my go to Arrans.