Arran 100° Proof Review

“To Be … Discontinued”

Country: Scotland 

Region: Highland - Islands - Arran

Brand: Arran 100° Proof

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS (Around 8 Years)

ABV: 57%

Colour: Straw/Pale Gold (Natural Colour) 

Nose: Give this Arran sufficient air contact as the Alcohol is very strong. The first impressions are Barley, Floral Soap, Straw, Grass and Refill Oak. On the Nose the 100° is both Sweet and slightly Sour. After a while I also find Toffee, Caramel, Salted Butter, Biscuits, light Vanilla, Citrus Peel, Sour Green Apples, Apricot Jam and hints of Milk Chocolate, Nuts, Espresso and some Strawberry Yogurt. It's clear that the 100° is still a young Whisky. 

Palate: Young, quite Oily and Hot. The Alcohol is very strong. I find Caramel, Toffee, Sweet Barley, light Heather-Honey, Strawberry Jam, Floral Soap, Refill Oak, Dairy, Ginger, Pepper, Cinnamon and Citrus Peel.    

Finish: Short, Hot and slightly Sour and Bitter towards the end. I find Sweet Barley, light Vanilla, light Cocoa, Lemon Peel, Orange Juice, Pepper, Nutmeg, Salt, Refill Oak and Espresso.

I added a little Water and that helps control the Alcohol of course. The Orchard Fruit and Floral notes become more evident. On the Palate, the 100° remains slightly Hot but the Malt, Heather-Honey and Strawberry notes shine brightly. In this case I would advise you to add a little Water.   

Rating: 81

Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 20 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: Arran is a very young distillery and only started selling Single Malts in 1995. It is located on the Isle of Arran, off the Scottish West Coast. The 100° Proof was their first Cask Strength expression. It was launched early 2007 but has been discontinued in the meantime. It matured in Ex-Bourbon casks and was not Chill-Filtered before bottling. You can still find it in some places at the price of around 60 US Dollars (January 2017). 

Drinking Experience Neat: Average/Okay. 

Conclusion: I can't get excited about this Arran. The combination of a Young and Light Spirit with a high ABV does not work very well here and leaves the 100° slightly off-balance. This is one of the few whiskies I have had so far that I liked a bit better with some added Water. On the positive side, the Barley makes a very strong impression and in due course I would love to taste a 15 Year Old Cask Strength produced at this distillery. For the time being you are better off with the Standard 10 Years expression.  

Jan van den Ende                                                                 January 18, 2016