Arran 10 Years Review


Country: Scotland 
Region: Highland - Island - Arran
Brand: Arran
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 10 Years
ABV: 46 %

Colour: Golden Grain

Nose: There's a clear Pineapple impression right upfront, accompanied by light Sherry, Malt, Straw, Earth, Oak, Cocoa Powder, Butter, Nuts and Lemon. With more time in the glass some additional Fruity tones appear. (Pear, Apple, Berries, Orange, Banana). There is some light Alcohol as well that gives away this Arran's relative youth. 

Note: Immediately after opening the miniature bottle I was unpleasantly welcomed by the Aroma of Cabbage Water that might hint at some Sulphur, but could also be caused by the Peaty Water from Loch Na Davie used in the distillery. These Vegetative tones are very strongly present in the whiskies from the Jura distillery and here they returned in a lighter form. I can't say I like this aspect a lot. However, once the bottle is opened for a while these notes practically disappear so I won't consider them for my rating. My advise however is to open a new bottle a couple of hours before tasting to avoid this little issue.

Palate: Sweet Chewy Malt, Honey and lots of Lemon along with Orange flavoured Chocolate, Pepper, Oak, Vanilla, Nuts, Hay and Cinnamon. 

Finish: Middle Long with Sweet Barley, Orange Peel, Pepper, Nutmeg, Vanilla, Cocoa Powder, light Sherry, light Licorice and Lemon. The finish reminds me a bit of Irish Whiskey every once in a while.

With a bit of Water the Nose gets more Fruity and Malty tones. The Finish becomes quite Spicy. Feel free to experiment with a bit of Water here.

Rating: 84

Nose: 21 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 21


General Remarks: Arran is a very young distillery and only started selling Single Malts in 1995. It's located on the Isle of Arran, off of the Scottish West Coast. The 10 years is the Standard Malt that matures in a combination of Ex-Bourbon and Ex- Sherry Casks. No Colouring is added and the whisky is Non Chill Filtered. Unpeated Barley is used for the 10 Years expression that sells at between 45 and 50 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: The Arran 10 is certainly a complex enough whisky given its relative youth. Nice Malt, Honey and Lemon are strongly present on the Palate and I like the Orange-Chocolate note. Arran is a promising young distillery with distinct Lemon distillery characteristics that could score high in the future. The ABV of 46% and the lack of chill-filtration are certainly additional positive points. A good choice at an acceptable price! 

Jan van den Ende                                                                     May 29, 2013

2 comments:

Whiskycuse said...

Hi Jan, a nice, not too expensive dram, in my opinion. I liked the fruitiness very much and the complexity despite its young age.

Cheers

Jan van den Ende said...

Yep Marcus I quite agree with you on that. It's a good whisky for its price and it's a promising distillery!