Arran Sauternes Cask Finish Single Malt

Nose: Sweet, heavy floral woody notes. Muesli and vanilla yoghurt drizzled with manuka honey ; tropical flowers in a hothouse (hibiscus and frangipani) that are dusky and almost stifling in their fleshy, dank aromatic presence. Lemon zest, pineapple, banana, stone fruits (apricot, nectarine, peach), some orchard fruit. What a seductress of a nose! Palate: Sweet arrival - very sweet, almost syrupy. The development brings out a flood of warm spicy notes that unfold like a glowing blanket, build to an almost-but-not-quite hot crescendo, and then subside to mild warmth. The texture is oily and dense and carries a host of sweet fruity and floral flavours. The seduction is complete - I submit! Finale: Medium. Sweet cereal, citrus and malty notes fade to a mild bittersweet aftertaste that is quite excellent. Standing ovation. The sauternes-fu is strong with this one. Whew, so much dessert wine influence! I know from the horse's mouth that Arran likes to use wet casks, but these must still have had liters of sauternes sloshing around in them. You'd be forgiven for thinking this would produce something franken-awful, but not at all. It's delicious and amazingly fresh and vigorous. However, don't bring expectations of po-faced elegance to the gunfight, because you'll be dead in the sand. This is all Mae West, showing her sassiest and most sophisticated side. Yee-ha! Is that a pistol in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me? This is the first of three reviews, tasting the cask-finished trio from Arran. We're off to a blazing start. This is a stunning whisky (tasted from a 30ml sample) "Very Good" : 87/100 (4.25 stars)

The nose starts with a sweet and slightly sour mix of honey crisp apples, lemon zest and nectarines then toasted sourdough, honeysuckle and light sea salt followed by mango, persimmons and dehydrated pineapple that transitions to light baking spices and mild oak with low ethanol burn.  The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with effervescent lemon lime and honey cough drops then toasted coconut, honeysuckle and light sea salt followed by mango smoothie, persimmons and dehydrated pineapple that transitions to light baking spices and mild oak with medium ethanol burn.  The finish is medium length starting with creamy tropical fruits that quickly veers towards a mild spice and slightly sour citrus.  This is a delightful single malt that balances sweet, sour and mild savory notes perfectly to create this refreshing, vibrant and quaffable dram that the Sauternes finish is very restrained but certainly helped provide some additional citrus notes that play wonderfully with the Arran spirit.  At a price around $80, I think this is a very well priced offering for today's market that most would find highly enjoyable. Thanks @soonershrink for the generous sample. 

So a chance encounter of a hidden store, led me to find this bottle. The arran sauternes cask I found was the pre 2019 bottling. The price was amazing so I purchased it. Nose - very fruity, a hit of tropical fruits like pineapple and mango. Smells very fresh, feels cool to the nose. Like a summer drink vibe. I also get oranges, grapefruit. At the back end i get some leather and something funky. I also get a hint of whipped cream and banana. Tongue - a very sweet fruit forward introduction. Has a syrupy texture. A lot more sweeter than i thought it would be. It has a lot of similarities to the new Ardnamurchan AD/10, perhaps, due to the both being white wine finishes, granted that Paul Launois is a champagne. It has richness and oiliness however, it is missing something on the mid palate. It has a little spice, not much. The finish is medium short. The aftertaste is like sweetened grapefruit juice. All in all a solid dram. It does have a very dessert like vibe to it. Its a great, sit at the beach on a summer day sipper.

I've cracked open all three NAS cask finishes tonight: Sauternes, Amarone, and Port... N: malty, fruity sweetness, slight honey, pear, egg custard tart perhaps (nutmeg, pastry, sweetness), and some delicate citrus. P: Soft and silky honey, mineral salts, a light vanilla maltiness, toasted oak presence. Gentle citrus and Arran ginger. A (literal) drop of water does bring the citrus and salt forward nicely. F: Medium short. Orange oils, honey, ginger and a pleasant warmth. The nose here is light, bright and delicate and leads into an interesting palate with a rich flavour profile that gives way to a soft clean finish. Overall the profile is sweet but it remains away from sickly or sticky, the saltiness is fantastic without being briny and the staple Arran spirit flavours are not diminished. Instead, the spirit is well complimented by this quality casking. In a nutshell, Arran have bottled spring time here. Distiller whisky taste #47

Oh i love Arran. Everything they do is so rewarding and fancy and easy drinkable. This time a 50%abv dram, finished in sauternes wine casks for extra depth. On the nose, lots of winey profile notes like white chocolate, peaches, vanilla, milk formula, cocoa powder, and a beautiful buttery chocolate called "Bon o bon" very popular in South America. On the palate, even if it is a little straightforward and one-dimensional, it is so enjoyable. First time i got this from a whisky: CONDENSED MILK. As a fat guy, it is imposible for me, not to love that. Pineapple. Very tropical, vanilla and pineapple. A very pleasant pepper spice. Aftertaste is almost perfect. Very mineral, very "rocky". Salt. Chilli "Jalapeño" and a "Crazy dips" effervescence. Quite nice. Overall this is an amazing, tropical, fresh whisky. Totally recommended, specially for a beach day. My score for it is 92 over 100. Loved it.

Nose: A very unique fragrance, a mix of bananas, honey, unripened lemon zest. Nutmeg with a hint of peanut oil appear with a delicate vanilla flower note. Apples are very apparent, but a green apple (green jolly rancher) with white grapes and a light salt note. The nose is very dry, white and green fruit notes are predominant, similar almost to a light champagne. Adding water really brings out an herbal note, reminiscent of walking through a vegetable garden. Palate: A heavier sweetness comes in the taste, overpowering honey and white grapes, the sauternes influence almost makes you think you're tasting white wine. Delicate and floral with the lightness and bitterness of lemon rinds. Very dry feeling on the tongue and easy going considering the 50% ABV. Finish: Medium length with a slight oak, even more so after adding water