Arran 18 Years Review

“I’m Eighteen and I Like It”

Country: Scotland

Region: Islands
Brand: Arran

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 18 Years (Limited Edition) 

ABV: 46%
Chill-Filtration: No
Buying Advice: Fully Recommended
Whisky Review # 569

Colour: Full Gold (Natural Colour) 

Nose: Sweet, Fruity and Pleasant. The Ex-Sherry casks are quite noticeable. I find Sweet Toasted Barley, Toffee, Vanilla, Nuts, Dried Fruits (Raisins), light Heather-Honey, Canned Pineapple in Syrup, White Grapes, Red Apples, Peach Jam, Orange - and Lemon Peel, Ripe Mango, Caffe Latte, Cinnamon, Ginger and a light Dusty Wood note. It's quite light, crisp and clean for an 18 Years Old and the Fruity tones dominate the wood completely. I'm pretty sure that (mainly) Refill casks were used. The Alcohol is there of course but it's reasonably well integrated. It's not a very complicated Nose for its age but it's quite pleasant!

Taste: Sweet, Fruity and Creamy. The nice Spices make sure there's balance. I find Sweet Barley, Toffee, Dried Fruits (Raisins, Sultanas), Vanilla, Caramel, Nutella, Mango, Citrus Peel, Peach Jam, Milk Chocolate, Caffe Latte, light Honey, Wax, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Pepper, Ginger and a little Oak. The ABV is perfect.  

Finish: Middle-Long, Fruity, Creamy with nice Spices for balance. I find Sweet Malted Barley, Vanilla, Toffee, Nutella, Raisins, Sweet Apples, Pear Drops, Milk Chocolate, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ginger, Wax and light Wood. A little bit Dry towards the end.   

I added a few drops of Water and I find more Creamy Barley on the Nose. The Palate and Finish do not change a lot with added Water. It's a matter of taste as always. I prefer it neat but you can certainly add a bit of Water if you like.

Rating: 88

Nose: 22 - Taste: 22 - Finish: 22 - Overall: 22

General Remarks: The Isle of Arran in Lochranza at the Isle of Arran is a very young and independent distillery. The first spirit was produced in 1995. The 18 Years Limited Edition (9000 bottles) was released in March 2015. It's a real 18 Years of course as Arran wouldn't have older stocks of Whisky available. It matured in Ex-Sherry Hogsheads. It may still be available in places at prices between 80 and 100 US Dollars (October 2016). In the meantime a new Arran 18 Years has been incorporated in the core range of the distillery. The Arran 18 years Limited Edition I'm tasting today is bottled at 46% without Chill-Filtration. Caramel was not added. Well done!

Drinking Experience Neat: Good, Pleasant and Well-Balanced

Conclusion: I'm sure I wouldn't give this Arran 18 Years when tasted blind. It's still Crispy, Clean and relatively Light. The Wood and Wood Spices are there but they interact nicely with the Fruity Spirit. It's by no means a Sherry Monster but the Ex-Sherry casks did provide some pleasant and Creamy notes of Nutella and Dried Fruits. The Fruity notes are very clear, especially Pineapple and Peach. It is not a very complicated Malt given its age but one should consider that there are no older whiskies present in this Arran. Still, the Arran 18 Years is a Single Malt that will please many people. It's Fruity, it's Fresh and it's got Balance. If I was to use only one word to describe this Arran, it would be "Pleasant". And all that at a very acceptable Price/Quality ratio. Congrats Arran!  

Jan van den Ende                                                                 October 27, 2016