Whisky Discovery #403

The Arran Malt 16 Year Old (46% abv)
Island Single Malt
Circa £60.00 70cl

Arran Distillers has recently launched its oldest expression so far, The Arran Malt 16 Year Old. This bottling marks the countdown to the launch of The Arran Malt 18 Years Old. This time next year should see the release of the 17 Year Old followed by the 18 Year Old First Edition in Spring 2015. I've just checked my notes on the Arran 14 Year Old (Whisky Discovery #40) where I remember writing that their core range will eventually consist of 10, 14 and 18 Year Old expressions.

This new release is produced from un-peated malted barley, then matured in a mix of circa  70% bourbon barrels and 30% sherry hogsheads. The expression has been limited to 9,000 bottles and in-line with their other core expressions bottled at 46% abv, naturally coloured and non-chill filtered

So What Did We Think?

Kat: Nose:  Fresh cut Beech, fresh apricots, a sweet fresh quality that reminds me of the smell of honey suckle after rain, unbaked bread dough, and lemon zest that nicely balances the sweetness.

Taste:  Sweetness again similar to honey suckle but develops later to be more like sweet pea shoots, there’s a slight oiliness, a nut quality like is similar to macadamia nut, and lightly spiced – cinnamon.

Finish:  Delicately sweet and mildly spice (tingles of cinnamon), the taste of cork (you know that taste of when you get little bits of it in your wine when someone with ham hands has had a go at opening your wine!), and a nice hint of bitterness at the end. I find the taste of cork here quite pleasant, gives it a hint of earthiness.

Overall I really enjoyed this whisky. It’s light and refreshing, and would be very enjoyable in some spring sunshine.

Dave: The nose comes across as very malty upon pouring the first dram into the Glencairn, but then it evolves into rich dark chocolate flavours - fabulous! There's spicy oak, sweet toffee, honey and fruit with rosy apples and green grapes. It's spicy and beautifully honeyed without being too sweet.

The palate opens with a light honey sweetness and slowly builds to a spicy crescendo, cloves and cinnamon It has a rich and creamy mouth-feel and the chocolate notes are back, but now more milk chocolate like and there is a slight orangey mandarin note underlying

A great spicy finish follows with and almost chilli burn on the tongue if you let it. There's a nice length to the finish, and the milk chocolate lingers before the mouth starts to dry as the oak tannins come through leaving me salivating for the next dram.

I loved the 14 Year Old and this is a fabulous step towards their goal of having an 18 year old in their core line up. An important milestone for this young, innovative independent distillery and a and delicious milestone at that!

And finally:

Many thanks to Isle of Arran Distillers for sending us a generous sample of this new release to review.

Whisky Discovery #294

Arran 16 Year Old Single Cask Master of Malt (55.4% abv D.12/06/96)

Island Single Cask Single Malt Whisky

£53.95 70cl (only available from Master of Malt)

Number two in my line up of the recent Single Cask Collection from Master of Malt, is a sweet, fruity whisky from the Isle of Arran, that was distilled on the 13th June 1996, matured in a single refill sherry hogshead, and yielded just 218 bottles sixteen year later.

Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt

Nose: Seaside aromas with soft, youthful malt. Hints of orange blossom honey. Apple strudel with brandy butter and dried mango.

Palate: Buttery palate with stem ginger in syrup, a touch of sweet Gewurztraminer, nutmeg and pannacotta. Barrel char and allspice.

Finish: Wine-like finish with over-ripe grapes, cassia bark and clove oil.

So What Did We Think?

Naturally coloured and looking like a white wine, and swirling it around in my nosing glass leaves legs slow to move down the sides of the glass eventually leaving an oil like beading around the glass

My immediate thought when nosing was that this is very malty, then there's a spicy ginger note which is quickly followed by softer notes;  gentle honey and some orange blossom. There is also herbal note that I couldn't put my finger on. After a little time to air I stated to get some sultanas and green grapes

On the palate there's an initial sweet note which slowly builds with spicy ginger. There is a definite wine like note although I'm not familiar with many white wines, especially sweet Gewurtztraminer. The ginger remains and gently fades with the faintest note of cinnamon while leaving a peppery  tingle on the middle of the tongue and sweetness towwards the back of the tongue.

I'm beginning to become a bit of a fan of whisky from the Isle of Arran and this single cask from Master of Malt is another fine example.

Want one? You'd better be quick as there were only 218 bottles of this. For more information and to buy see Master of Malt 16 Year Old Arran 

Whisky Discovery #280

Machrie Moor (46% abv Third Edition Released 2012)

Island Single Malt Whisky

circa £40.00 70cl

The Isle of Arran Distillers have been producing a peated malt every year since 2004. The malted barley is gently peated to a level of 14 ppm and laid to mature in American oak casks. The peated malt whisky has been used in a number of releases over the years, most notably the recent Devil's Punch Bowl, but Machrie Moor is a limited release using just the peated whisky and our tasting sample was from the recently launched third release and a run of 12,000 bottles. As with all of the expressions of the Arran Malt we have tasted this is non chill-filtered, naturally coloured and bottled at a respectable 46% abv

Also, like a number of the Arran Malts this expression has been named after an island landmark.  On the west coast of the Isle of Arran lies a windswept and mystical peat bog called Machrie Moor. Bronze Age stone circles and standing stones are strewn across its barren, undulating terrain. One of the stone circles is known as Fingal's Cauldron Seat, where sits a stone with a carved hole. The legendary warrior giant Fingal is said to have tethered his favourite dog Bran to this stone. Bran features on the label of this release, still tethered to Fingal's Cauldron Seat.

So What Did We Think?

Kat Said: I tasted this whisky before I read any official tasting notes or anything about the whisky. Generally this is how I like to taste my whiskies for the first time so that I’m not influenced by any power of suggestions (this includes not reading what my Dad’s already posted). I find it more interesting this way. 

It was a surprise to me to find that this Arran is slightly peated. I didn’t specifically pick out peat; I didn’t even find it smoky. Here’s what I got. 

Nose:  Fresh crunchy Granny Smith’s apples with its slight greenness and sharp acidity, hot pear crumble, sea salt, light fragrance of seasoned oak that lingers in the background, and towards the end of the dram there was some white pepper coming through. 

Taste:  Strong liquorice at the very beginning, I would say more like that of the root than of boiled or soft sweets. It’s still sweet but with an antiseptic quality that numbs your mouth and leaves it slightly cools at the same time. Towards the middle there’s some heat from cloves and the sweetness is more noticeable (just of normal white sugar, not Demerara or anything like that), then towards the end a light floral notes comes through. 

Finish:  At the end it initially left a fresh mouth feel with a nice bitterness quality that balances out the sweetness from earlier. The bitterness was more like that from the peel of a Granny Smith’s, the sweetness came back (more like Demerara sugar this time), and it ended with the liquorice taste. 

Overall it was a pleasant dram which I enjoyed. I particularly liked that the different notes I picked up on the nose filtering through to the entire whisky. Like a good CV this whisky this whisky told me in the beginning ‘So this is what I can do’, then on the palate it says ‘these are what makes me who I am’, and at the end leaving me to feel completely in sync with it. 

tasted this weekend just gone where we had snow fall non-stop for 24 hours or so. It’s a good whisky to help warm up your cockles. 

Dave Said: In the glass it's very pale, like a white wine, and swirled around the glass leaves oil like droplets around the sides.

The immediate note I wrote down was that it smelled like buttered toast. Granary bread of course! After the buttered toast the citrus and vanilla notes came forward, quite lemony but the lightest scent of orange marmalade too (going back to my toast). After a little while I was able to tease out some fruit with notes of pineapple and peaches. At 14ppm I think this is a very lighted peated malt and the peat notes really need to be teased out, this is no peat monster. 

On the palate there is a fresh citrus tang, more limes than lemons now. A fiery pepper spice mid palate and the slightest hint of peat smoke, nothing heavy and more of a light char. I added a drop of water and the nose sweetens immediately releasing a little fragrant smoke at the same time. The water tames the fiery pepper on the palate and gives a rich and creamy mouth-feel while the lime tang is sill there.

The finish is crisp and clean with citrus zest and a little sweet vanilla, again the slightest hint of smoke. This comes across as quite a young whisky, but really quite enjoyable. The peat levels is quite low compared to some of the peated malts I've tasted and so you have to search hard for it, that is until the glass is empty. Returning to the empty glass to nose, only after a few minutes of finishing the last sip, the peat smoke is much stronger and certainly drew me back to pour myself another

And finally:

Many thanks to Isle of Arran Distillers for sending us a generous sample of this new release to review.

Whisky Discovery #217

Robert Burns Single Malt Whisky NAS (43% abv OB Bottled 2012, 70cl)

Island Single Malt Whisky

Circa £30.00 70cl

The new 2012 Robert Burns Single Malt from the Isle of Arran Distillery

Released at the beginning of September and bottled under the Robert Burns label, this edition of the Arran Single Malt has been created by combining different ages to create a beautifully rounded whisky that is smooth, malty and sweet with a delicious spicy twist on the finish.

Since 2000 The Isle of Arran Distillers have been granted life membership of the World Burns Federation - an organisation based in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire which is dedicated to the life and works of Scotland's national poet Robert Burns. 

This is the 'official' Robert Burns whisky – accept no imitations!

Robert Burns (1759-1796)– national poet of Scotland and a global Scottish icon was born in Alloway, Ayrshire in 1759 and his links with Ayrshire and Arran are well known. In fact, although the bard never actually visited the Isle of Arran, he is certain to have been able to see it on clear days as he laboured in the fields of Ayrshire on his father's farm. At that time there were several illicit stills on Arran which produced whisky that was claimed by many to be "among the finest whiskies available". This was shipped to Dunure in Ayrshire - then the centre of the illegal whisky trade - before being shipped to the gentry in Scotland's major cities where they "took the Arran waters".

Using mainly American oak ex-Bourbon casks in maturation has accentuated the sweet-fruity notes of Arran whilst a smaller proportion of ex-Sherry hogsheads have added depth and richness. Matured in a selection of finest ex-Bourbon & ex-Sherry Casks and bottled at 43% abv, and like all Arran Malts no artificial colouring is used.

Official Tasting Notes: 

Colour: Ayrshire Sunshine 

Aroma: Sweet & creamy with notes of honey, toffee-glazed pecans and fresh summer fruits. 

Palate: A perfect combination of rich malt and lush vanilla notes forms a beautifully refreshing and smooth palate. Light and sweet at first followed by tantalising spice and oak. 

Finish: Clean and fresh with an aftertaste of hazelnuts and milk chocolate. A true drop of liquid poetry and the perfect dram with which to toast the Bard! 

So what did we think? 

Dave said: I tweeted 'Summer in a glass' when I first started nosing this whisky, because alongside the sweet creamy vanilla, bags of toffee and summer fruits; most noticeably kiwi fruit, I was struck by the almost hedgerow elderflower note to this. However it had a further trick up it's sleeve too; with time in the glass the nose took on a minty chocolate note - certainly a lot going on in here!

Kat said: Just after I poured it into the nosing glass the first aromas I got was a mineral quality like spring water, a hint of Werthers originals, and citrus pith. After about five minutes in the glass I found that it had developed a creamier note which reminded me instantly of the sweet creaminess of a Milky Bar, and definitely of white chocolate. The minerals were then taken over by the smell of dry straw. 

Dave said: This is definitely a smooth and easy drinking malt from The Arran Distillery. However the sweet creamy vanilla is nowhere near as prominent on the palate, being much more spicy with light notes of Burmese/Vietnamese coriander, pepper and green oak, which is all balanced by a toffee sweetness, a briny saltiness and rich malt. 

Kat said: On my initial sip, I got a hit of bitterness and zest of a grapefruit which stays for the duration. The sweetness and creaminess is less than what I was expecting giving how strong these were on the nose. For me the sweetness was not of organic origin, what I mean by this is that its not like honey or cane sugar, it was more of artificial sweeteners like the taste of Splenda. I did like that it was light yet still keeping the creaminess, rather than being more syrupy, and in between all of this was hint of white pepper and coriander seeds. 

Dave said: The finish seemed to be a balance of the senses; sweetness, saltiness and a little peppery heat

Kat said: For me the finish started with grapefruit zest for a few seconds, developing into bitter qualities of citrus pith/oak tannins which stayed to the end.

Overall it was light and refreshing whisky that I would have again as it was a nice finish to a home cooked lamb curry, especially when the curry was cooked by my other half! Yep, all I did was eat then put my feet up sipping my whisky!

And finally:

We're indebted to Isle of Arran Distillers for sending us a generous sample of this new release of the Robert Burns Single Malt release to review.

Both the Robert Burns Single Malt and Robert Burns Blended Scotch are part of Isle of Arran Distillers‘ core range, but they are considered like a mini-brand within Arran and have their own section on their website.

A new website is being launched in January 2013 dedicated only to Robert Burns Malt and Blend. A Facebook page has already been established dedicated to the bard and these two whiskies, and for further information see their website

Whisky Discovery #150

The Devil's Punch Bowl NAS (52.3% abv OB, Bottled 2012 70cl)
Island Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky
Circa; £66.60 70cl

Devils Punch Bowl from The Arran Malt - spectacular packaging

The Devil’s Punch Bowl is a limited edition expression of The Arran Single Malt inspired by the glacial hollow Coire na Ciche, only accessible by boggy footpaths, and whose sinister presence dominates the north-east coast of Arran.

It is said that Arrans's Master Distiller, James ‘Lucifer’ MacTaggart, has been to 'hell and back' to select only the finest casks for this demonic masterpiece. Each cask has been chosen to contribute a specific characteristic and through the dark art of blending these whiskies have conspired to create an elixir of exceptional complexity and finesse.

Drawn from 24 different Arran casks, including Sherry Butts from 1996, it's also the first whisky from the Arran Distillery to combine both peated and un-peated casks. James MacTaggart goes on to say "The Sherry Butts act like the rhythm section of a band; setting the tone and driving the character of the malt. Deep in colour and rich on the palate these casks are the heartbeat of this whisky. The 1996 Bourbon Barrels add a wonderful honeyed sweetness to proceedings whilst the Sherry Hogsheads imbue a perfect harmony of aroma and flavour. As a unique twist I have added some of our 2006 Peated Arran, in combination with regular un-peated Arran for the very first time, giving the finish a subtle smoky edge.

Only 6,660 bottles of the ‘Devil’s Punch Bowl’ will be released worldwide, bottled at cask strength of 52.3% abv, and like the rest of the Arran range is non chill filtered and no artificial colouring is used.

So what did I think?

I had barely finished my blog post on the Arran Golden Eagle when I first heard about this new release. With the launch date to coincide with the Distillery Open Day at the end of June, I managed to get hold of a generous sample to taste without making the journey to the Isle of Arran. To be honest I would have much rather be at the distillery tasting it, but that wouldn't have been possible this time. So a huge thanks to The Arran Malt for sending me the sample for me to air my thoughts.

Just as the tasting notes state the nose is certainly fresh and vibrant with initially strong sherried fruits, candied peel, orange marmalade, rich vanilla essence and a light butterscotch sweetness. With water, and at 52.3% abv it can take a good drop of water, the sweet vanilla and butterscotch flavours come to the forefront. With five peated casks in the mix, I was expecting some peaty smoke on the nose but wasn't really able to pick anything out.

Rich spicy fruits on the palate initially, lots of dark black cherry and a lovely aniseed comes through before the slightest smokiness of the peated whisky comes through.

With a long lingering finish with a lovely balance of toffee sweetness and spicy white pepper with a final delicate fragrant pipe smoke at the very end.

I went onto taste this head to head with The Golden Eagle I bought at the beginning of the month. In the glass they both look very similar, a beautiful rich golden colour, but while the Eagle is light and fruity, the Devil's Punch Bowl is definitely more menacing with the darker fruits and smoky finish.

Another great whisky from this award winning distillery, with stunning packaging too, and I'm sure will fly off the shelves too quickly for most of us whisky drinkers.

Whisky Discovery #144

Isle of Arran 'The Eagle' 1999 (46% abv, OB, Distilled 1999, Bottled 2012 70cl)
Island Single Malt
Circa £48.00 70cl

Icons of Arran No. 4 The Golden Eagle

I remember when the Isle of Arran Distillers released this back in February 2012. I saw the advertisements and the tweets before I had even tasted a whisky from this distillery. I tried to get a sample from the distillery at the time. Although unsuccessful with getting a taste of the Golden Eagle, I was very fortunate to be sent a sample of their 10 Year Old and their 14 Year Old.

I was blown away by this offer of samples and started to find out more about this distillery, and the' Icons of Arran' range, of which this is the fourth and final expression from this series. It all started four years ago with the release of 'The Peacock' which received great reviews and is highly sought after. The following year 'The Rowan Tree' was released and then last year 'The Westie' which I believe, you can still find a bottle of if you look hard!

The Golden Eagle is a special edition bottling limited to just 6,000 worldwide, and after looking out for it at the Stratford upon Avon Whisky Festival (and not seeing it) was determined to make this my official June purchase. I almost left it too late as a number of retailers had sold out, and it wasn't available from the distillery any longer. After some frantic telephoning to a number of independent retailers I found myself a bottle just in time!

This single malt was drawn from a combination of 14 bourbon barrels and 7 sherry Hogsheads, all selected by Master Distiller James MacTaggart from the 1999 distillation. It was bottled earlier this year and released in February.

As with all of the other 'Icons of Arran' it has been named after something synonymous with the Isle of Arran and/or it's distillery and this has been named for and dedicated to, the pair of Golden Eagles who nest behind the distillery in the mountain above Lochranza.

This 13 year old single malt has been bottled at 46% abv and is naturally coloured and non chill-filtered

So what did I think?

I opened this on the Friday evening it arrived and tweeted about it to a few friends who were interested in what I thought. I spent my time getting to know this and nosed it a number of times before tasting it.

On the nose I tweeted; Lemony vanilla with a sherry fruity notes, kiwi fruit, lovely nose! There's peaches too and pink grapefruit. It is almost a tropical fruit salad, with vanilla, caramel and some nuttiness too.

It's quite similar on the palate, but there is a little spiciness too. Creamy buttery vanilla with some great citrus notes. I also got the slightest aniseed tang to it too, yes it is delicious!

The finish seems quite short, sweet and peppery at the end, and a little nutty dryness.

I'm so glad I managed to find a bottle of this having missed out earlier releases, it is a lovely drop of whisky and if you can find a bottle you really should snap it up, if you don't like it you can always send it to me - where it will be gratefully received.

Whisky Discovery #40

Isle of Arran 14 Year Old (46%, OB, bottled 2012 10cl)
Island Single Malt Whisky
Circa £36 for 70cl

A good measure of the Arran 14 Year Old

The second of the two samples sent to me from the Isle of Arran Distillery, but first a little more information about them.

Following a survey by the Geology Department of Glasgow University, the owner was advised to open his new Distillery on Arran for three reasons:

They had found the purest water supply in all of Scotland at Loch na Davie, high in the hills that overlook the village of Lochranza on the North coast of Arran.

Arran is washed by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream and enjoys a microclimate - ideal for the speedy maturation of single malt whiskies.

The Island already enjoyed a reputation for producing top quality - if illegal - whisky.

The Arran Distillery has strived to use traditional methods of distilling, with wooden washbacks and copper stills. Their location offers perfect water for whisky production, cleansed by granite and softened by peat as it comes down from the mountain above. The atmosphere of sea breezes and clear mountain air together with the warm flow of the Gulf Stream matures the Arran Malt to perfection in earth floored warehouses. They use no peat in the production process and no caramel for artificial colouring, so no scrutinising the packaging for the very small print in German required! The whisky is also non-chillfiltered.

The 14 Year Old was officially launched in 2010 and is set to be one of their core range of three age statements, 10, 14 and 18 year olds, so look out for the launch of the 18 year old in 2014, I’ll be making a note in my diary.

So what did I think?

I certainly liked the 14 Year Old more than the 10 Year Old, the extra four years in the wood has done good! Another sensible bottling at 46% ABV

Colour: Very similar to the 10 Year Old, like a golden white wine, perhaps a touch darker.

Nose: Another wonderful nose, very fragrant and perfumed. Dried fruits and peaches, a little more sherry that the 10 year old, vanilla and caramel toffee.

Palate: Smooth and creamy, an initial saltiness leads onto warming toffee apples and nuts, dates, and orange peel. The feel is overwhelmingly rich and weighty in the mouth

Finish: I have read that the Arran’s have a trademark cinnamon spiced finish, but I never got this but it was a thoroughly enjoyable finish, with a saltiness balancing the sweet fruit.

This 14 year old is a great whisky is another bottle I would be more than happy to recommend and I will definitely be looking out for further releases from this distillery.

Whisky Discovery #39

Isle of Arran 10 Year Old (46%, OB, bottled 2011 5cl)

Island Single Malt Whisky

Circa £35 for 70cl

Just a taste of the Arran 10 Year Old

Now this discovery (and the next) was a real treat! A chance tweet catching the eye of The Isle of Arran Distillery who, after checking out my blog, said I ought to try their 10 Year Old and 14 Year Old whiskies and that they would put some samples in the post for me on the promise that I would write about them.

I was absolutely bowled over! A distillery getting in touch with me, a whisky novice, and then to send me some samples to help me out on my journey – just awesome! And all I had to do in return is drink, enjoy and write about my experiences! This journey is getting better and better.

Before tasting the whisky I decided I really ought to find out a little more about their story:

Arran is a unique island known as 'Scotland in Miniature', for it has all of the scenery of Scotland, with mountains and lowlands, glens, lochs and royal castles (including one at Lochranza). Early in the 19th century there were more than 50 whisky distilleries on Arran, most of them illegal and carefully hidden from the eyes of the taxmen. The malt from Arran was shipped to the mainland and enjoyed by the gentry who regularly "took the Arran waters". It was acclaimed at the time as the best in Scotland, only rivalled by those from the 'Glen of Livet'.

The Isle of Arran Distillery is one of Scotland’s new distilleries, founded in 1993 and starting production in 1995. It was the first legal distillery on Arran since 1837 Their 10 Year Old was officially launched in 2006, and lies at the heart of the Isle of Arran range exuding all the honeyed richness that is associated with the island distillery.

So what did I think?

A very pleasant medium-bodied, sweet citrus flavoured dram that I think must be classed as a great achievement from a distillery that only started producing whisky sixteen years ago. Remember by SWA rules the youngest whisky in this bottling must be ten years old and being from a young distillery won’t have the luxury of older stock to standardise each expression. It was very easy to drink, even at 46% ABV and feels light and fresh, it is non-chillfiltered and naturally coloured.

Colour: a golden white wine

Nose: a lovely fragranced nose, herbal cereal and sweet heather honey, salty sea air and a light oakiness

Palate: Light and fresh with a soft lemony vanilla sweetness and crisp green apples

Finish: A slightly bitter, although certainly not unpleasant malty finish. Very tempting!

This 10 year old is well worth trying out, I haven’t seen this core expression in the supermarkets yet, but it should be, as it can certainly stand amongst any of the others found there.