Category Archives: Island

Sherry Battle! Aberlour 16 year + Arran Sherry

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The battle of the Sherries came about one relaxed evening in London. We were gearing up for the Whisky Show 2023, and my host pulled out two of his favourite drams. Both sherry, both quality and still available at a reasonably accessible price point. He wanted to see which reigned supreme. Spoiler alert – both for different reasons!

  • Arran Sherry 55.8%  – Sherry meets bannoffie pie! Drunken raisins, salted caramel… Smooth with dark fruits, and sweet spices… long strong finish
  • Aberlour 16 year 40% – You would think it would be gentle at a mere 40%, however, don’t let that fool you! Full of all the wonderful sherry influenced fruits, Christmasy spices then on the palate ginger and chocolate. Yum.

For those not familiar, Aberlour is known for its consistent use of ex-Olorosso sherry casks… until they recently launched their Alba line.

Whereas Arran, from Lochranza Distillery, regularly uses a range of casks – from Bourbon to Port, from Amarone to Sauternes, and of course Sherry!

As we sampled them side by side, we reflected on how each revels in the sherry cask, with the Aberlour a bit heavier despite it being 40% and the Arran more nuanced and lively, not surprising given its cask strength.

I missed making detailed notes however simply remembered how much we enjoy both whiskies. Each would go well in any whisky cabinet.

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Sharing is caring

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I truly believe sharing is caring – even more so in the world of whiskies – where a dram shared is a dram enjoyed. Alas, having whisky friends scattered around the world means we do not always have an opportunity to taste together. This is why sharing a mini or two is a way to share the journey, even if experienced independently.

A couple of years ago, I brought a wee pack of minis back from Europe to India to share with Whisky Flu. His wonderfully detailed and evocative tasting notes are such a treat – enabling me to experience the drams yet again through his nose and palate.

Knowing he was through the original set, I decided it was time for a wee booster shot of interesting drams, so packed up further whiskies from one of our favourite independent bottlers – Chorlton and Gordon & Macphail Discovery. Then in India, when cleaning and sorting through my whisky cabinet, added a trio from That Boutique-y Whisky Co to the mix and the latest Chorlton’s opened with the Bombay Malt & Cigar gents.

Completely unexpectedly, I received a “return gift” with an interesting assortment from his open bottles:

  • Blend #4 51% – Must find out more about this one!
  • Grace O’Malley Irish Whisky 40% – So far I’ve only had a whiff of this one, so looking forward to trying
  • Camikara 12 year Rum 50% – A new Indian cane juice rum, matured for 12 years in American oak casks. 
  • Timorous Beastie 18 year Blended Malt 46.8% – We last tried a no-age statement expression of this Highland Blend from Douglas Laing in 2016. It will be interesting to contrast that with this limited edition.
  • Rock Oyster 18 year Blended Malt 46.8% – For this Island expression, we last tried their cask-strength version in 2018. As a blend of Islay, Arran, Orkney, and Jura whiskies, I have a feeling I will enjoy the 18 year!
  • Indri 46% – I need to check if this is the standard Trini or something different!

For a variety of reasons, this trip to India left little scope for independent tasting. So I decided to keep these well stored for my upcoming trip in April or May 2024.

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The Warehouse Dram Braon Peat Batch 8, 56.5%

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Germany has many independent bottlers and one that caught our fancy during the COVID period was Whisky Warehouse No 8 for their well put together sample boxes. In one of these, we were introduced to Braon Peat – which is their Scottish peat expression from an undisclosed distillery.

Their Braon Peat Batch 7 was a complete hit! So I was requested to “pretty please” bring a bottle from Germany to London for a special evening in October 2023. I was naturally happy to oblige, picking up their Batch 8 expression.

So what did we think?

Braon Peat (27 Sept 2021) Refill Sherry Cask, Batch 8, 56.5%  

  • Nose – Warm campfire, smoked ham, toasted scones, a sweet and sour apple sauce, sweetmeats, herbal
  • Palate – A luscious sweet peat, well rounded, great balance and mouthfeel, with just a hint of spice, some fatty oily nuts
  • Finish – Lingering smoke and spice, truly lasts and lasts
  • Water – Not needed but opens it up, accentuating the nutty element

It was instantly identified as Caol Ila. And overall is quite a satisfying peat dram – delicious. Even better, for a solid performer, it doesn’t break the bank account.

Official Tasting notes from an earlier batch:

  • Nose : Warm smoke with some dry dust, oily-fleshy with sweet molasses notes, machine hall, slightly herbal like dried oregano.
  • Flavor : The peat notes are in the foreground, the whiskey comes across as a bit meaty, yet surprisingly herbal at the same time, as if the meat had been preserved in mallow leaves beforehand. Although you look in vain for fruity notes, the whiskey has a slightly sweet taste.
    With dilution, some malty crispness is revealed and the peat notes are less meaty.
  • Finish : Oily, intensely peaty with some black pepper and long lasting.

Would we agree? Most certainly!

I purchased this bottle in April 2022 for Eur 60 – actually two bottles for Eur 120! One bottle made it to London in October 2023 and the other to India.

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A Mix of Malts – Highland explorations

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During our Schottland Whisky Forum weekend getaway in October, everyone brought an interesting bottle. There was a remarkable mix of malts – particularly from the Highlands!

On the 1st day I spent most of my time exploring whiskies from the Single Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), an exceptional elegant Glen Grant 5-year-old from 1975, and a special release from Deanston.

On our 2nd day, I focused on a range of Highland distilleries before shifting to peaty whiskies.

  • Jura “Anam na-h Alba” 9 year (19 Oct 20009 – 08 Apr 2019) Bourbon Hogshead Cask No 700993 58.1% bottle 276 of 279
  • Glenmorangie Midwinter Night’s Dram 43%
  • Edradour 2007 18 year Cask Strength (Nov 2007 / Jan 2021) 59.2% 1,362 Bottles
  • Old Pulteney 14 year (27 May 2008 / 9 Jun 2022) Cask No 24 initial maturation Refill Botto Bourbon Hogshead, finish 24 months Fresh Sherry Butt 56.8% Bottle 404 of 663 

So.. let’s start with the Highland from the 1st day… the Deanston…

Deanston Chronicles Edition 1 46.3%

I had no idea what to expect with this one. It had been a while since I tried an “OB” (Original Bottle) Deanston – most have been from independent bottlers. So I was curious to try – especially as it was a special release. I later learned it was a mix of four casks from four decades -1977 Whisky Refill, 1994 ex-Madeira, 2004 ex-Amontillado, and 2011 ex-Bourbon – wow!  

  • Nose – Incredibly fruity, fresh orchard fruits, some apricots, baked red apples, toffee, some vanilla, sweet spices, a bit peppery
  • Palate – Is that red wine tannins? Red apple peels? Some Lebkuchen? Swirl it around and catch a variety of flavours… hmm mmm?

What a curious yet interesting malt! Absolutely marvelous on the nose, it was a bit odd on the palate. However many were quite taken with it. 

Sometimes we have certain prejudices – I will admit that Jura just hasn’t been my kind of distillery dram. This is exactly why I thought – time to test if THIS would be the expression that changes my mind! Spoiler alert – it wasn’t!

Jura “Anam na-h Alba” 9 year (19 Oct 20009 – 08 Apr 2019) Bourbon Hogshead Cask No 700993 58.1%

  • Nose – VERY maritime, lots of fresh sea spray, some waxy elements, forest
  • Palate – The prick of a cask strength, direct with no depth
  • Finish – Some spice and that’s it 

Overall it did not impress and reminded me why I’m not such a Jura fan. 

After our recent reminder that Glenmorangie IS much more my style, I was curious to try one of their NAS expressions.

Glenmorangie Midwinter Night’s Dram 43%

  • Nose – Exactly as expected – a lovely light sherry dram, some orange joined by plum cake, with some nutty notes too
  • Palate – Soft, sweet, and creamy milk chocolate
  • Finish – A light spice with some ginger

It wasn’t a “stand-out” dram, instead just a proper palate pleaser. A nice transition from the disappointing Jura to even more interesting drams to come.

What more do we know? It was 1st released as a Limited Edition in 2015 and again for Christmas 2017, using Bourbon and Oloroso casks, partially finished in PX Sherry casks. 

My tasting companions were raving about the Edradour – so I simply had to join their experience! Edradour is known as a small distillery, devoted to traditional methods and producing some mighty fine results with some firm fans out there. 

Edradour 2007 18 year Cask Strength (Nov 2007 / Jan 2021) 59.2% 1,362 Bottles

  • Nose – Light fruit, loads of ripe plums, blossoms, honey, vanilla, shortbread, lemon sponge cake, 
  • Palate – Starts with a nice spice, some fruits – even tropical like papaya, waxy, red currents, nuts, a truly lovely balance, smooth
  • Finish – Light cinnamon and ginger, very soft and comforting til the end

This is one beautiful whisky – restrained and elegant. Well worth trying – classic and quality hand-in-hand. My scribbles also described this as a “snuggly whisky” which cues up a comfort dram. Fabulous!

After such an enjoyable experience, it was a tough dram to follow. Being a bit of an Old Pulteney fan, my eye was drawn to this Signatory bottle…

Old Pulteney 14 year (27 May 2008 / 9 Jun 2022) Cask No 24 initial maturation Refill Bourbon Hogshead, finish 24 months Fresh Sherry Butt 56.8% Bottle 404 of 663 

  • Nose – Quite pronounced sherry! That 2 years in Sherry Butts really came through in the aromas! With Sherry influence came all the “usual suspects” – Christmas pudding, lots of prunes, sweet spices, and more
  • Palate – Heavy and rounded
  • Finish – Full and long, closing on ginger snaps!

What a marvelous and powerful dram. I have a funny feeling this one could do with a drop or two of water too! 

Lest you think I was being a complete lush – the drops you see in the photos were all that was consumed. Literally, a small splash in the glass to tease out some impressions. With some, I also lingered, taking my time – like the lovely Edradour! All in all, I’m very appreciative both of the opportunity to meet fellow whisky explorers and spend a weekend discovering a dram or two together.

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Whisky Show 2023 – Hunter Laing

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We had just been blown away by the Linkwood 31 year and BenRiach 31 year of the Macbeth series at London’s Whisky Show 2023. What could follow that?

We were about to head back upstairs but were distracted by Hunter Laing‘s rather interesting array… and I was so glad that we did! There we discovered one of the most memorable drams of our day! After three generations in the whisky business, there is no doubt these folks know their stuff. 

Auchriosk 11 year (2011 – 2023) 46% 360 Bottles (Hepburn’s Choice) Eur ~58

It was robust yet approachable on the nose with berries and brioche. There was a lovely fruity palate joined by dark red grapes. The finish was dry and the overall impression was of an early evening treat.

Dailuaine 13 year (2008 – 2022) 46% 816 bottles (Hepburn’s Choice) Eur ~61

We moved on to the Dailuaine which was sweet with loads of pineapple on the nose, juicy fruits on the palate – like a fruit pastille. And the finish was long and sweet. This was a joyful dram and most enjoyable.

We then moved on to The Old Malt Cask series – trying just one! 

The Glenrothes 16 year (2006) Refill butt 50% 750 bottles Eur ~173

We clearly had a “juicy fruits” theme going on – as this too had loads of fruits, however in this case more plump raisins than orchard fruits. We caught a few heavier notes too – perhaps some mocha? We then went in for a sip… to be rewarded by a powerful yet balanced dram. More of those raisins, some spice, and everything nice, followed by a long finish.

Our guide insisted we could not leave without trying one particular whisky from their The First Editions line – so named as their expressions are aged in a Single Cask. 

Cragganmore 26 year (1995 – 2022) Sherry Butt 54.7% 570 Bottles EUR 320

  • Nose – The initial whiff was of old wood, like an antique. Then we were rewarded with rich, full sherry, yet this was not just a powerhouse “sherry bomb”, there were layers of nuance, with treacle and a hint of mocha.
  • Palate – Marvelous! Phenomenal mouth feel, rich, and oily, with raisins and ginger. Absolutely gorgeous, mature, and complex
  • Finish – What a finish! It lingered long after sipping, nice dry oak

Wow! We had not expected such a wonder. A worthy finish to our Hunter Laing stop indeed!

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Whisky Show 2023 – Show Bottles Loch Lomond, Clynelish, Orkney

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This year, I decided in advance to purchase a “festival pick” at London’s Whisky Show 2023. I set myself a maximum budget and even put together a shortlist. This is exactly why I made a “beeline” to the Whisky Show “Festival” Bottles early Sunday morning and zeroed into the Clynelish immediately. 

However, as always, I enjoy being guided through explorations. So when they recommended we start with the Loch Lomond, we were happy to oblige!

Loch Lomond 14 year Cask no. 22/709-1 55.6% (2023 Whisky Show Bottle)

What an intriguing bottle! It was initially quite shy and a bit funky on the nose, gradually easing into yogurt, it then burst open with dried fruits and cream, and generous dollops of dark honey. On the palate, it was dangerously drinkable and delicious. All those lovely fruity flavours coming together, well balanced and most enjoyable.

Whilst Loch Lomond (under many labels) has a huge range of styles, I personally prefer ones like this – un-peated, uncomplicated, and friendly (once you get to know each other a bit!). This one needs a wee bit of time in the glass, then absolutely rewards you with a treat!

What more do they say?

One of Scotland’s most versatile distilleries, Loch Lomond produces an astonishing range of different styles and flavour profiles. This cask of un-peated single malt showed such a perfect balance of fruity spirit character and oak influence that we knew we had to have it for Whisky Show.

  • Nose: Runny honey, golden syrup, wine gums, buttercream, orange flower water, sultanas, vanilla.
  • Palate: Thick-cut marmalade, apple juice, chewy flapjacks, digestive biscuits, fresh baguettes, rice pudding, more wine gums, and yellow fruit pastilles. There’s a leafy peppermint note that keeps the sweeter elements from getting out of balance.
  • Finish: Fruity and creamy with oak spices and a touch of pencil shavings.

From curious to most enjoyable, I then turned my attention to my potential festival pick…

Clynelish 12 year (2011/2023) 1st Fill Barrel #880297 56.4% (2023 Whisky Show Bottle) GBP 120 / EUR 142

I will admit it, just reading about this bottle put it in the front-runner position. I was not at all disappointed! It was full of gorgeous fruity aromas, chased by warm lemon, sponge cake, a hint of floral honey, and enough beeswax elements to make it interesting. On the palate it rewarded with more fruit – I definitely found the pineapple, elegant and well-rounded. There really is something distinctive about Clynelish – the more I explore, the more I want to explore further.  

What do the Whisky Show folks have to say?

A real whisky drinker’s whisky distillery, Clynelish has made single malt on Sutherland’s east coast for more than 200 years. Its characteristic waxy, fruity, mineral profile is quite unlike anything else being produced today. We’ve found these 2011 casks to be of excellent quality overall, but we thought this one was particularly good and a fitting addition to our Whisky Show lineup this year.

  • Nose: Gummy bears, nectarine, yellow plum, and lemon oil. There’s also a floral side with irises, blossoms and wildflower honey.
  • Palate: All the Clynelish hallmarks are present and correct: candlewax, beeswax, olive oil. Then more stone fruit and candied pineapple with seashells, chalky white wines and Yellow Chartreuse. The influence of that first-fill bourbon barrel grows over time with toffee, crème anglaise and honey granola.
  • Finish: Sweet anise, gentian, vanilla.

An excellent example of 2010s’ Clynelish from a particularly good first-fill barrel. I happily snapped it up for Eur 139 / GBP 120 and sent it home to India with my hubby for a future-future-future tasting session!

We were then steered towards the Orkney…

Orkney 22 year (2000/2023) Refill Hogshead #41 52.7% (2023 Whisky Show Bottle)

Obviously, this was Highland Park… and for 22 years, it greeted us with a fresh (though slightly shy) nose, light sea breeze, fresh leaves, and just the slightest hint of peat. On the palate, the peat was unmistakable – that lovely non-Islay peat that warms gently without overpowering the fruits and cinnamon sweet. The finish continued in the lightly sweet peat vein, lingering. Really rather nice!

Again, it is worth checking the further details about this Show Bottle here:

The first of our three bottlings for Whisky Show 2023 comes from a venerable distillery in the Orkney islands. We can’t say which one, but the keen-nosed will be able to make an educated guess. Full maturation in a refill hogshead means that the oak influence is nicely restrained, allowing the quality of the underlying lightly smoky spirit to really shine.

  • Nose: Heathery peat, beeswax furniture polish, linseed oil, white pepper and sackcloth. Brilliantly old-fashioned and probably a great example of whatever Orkney distillery this happens to be.
  • Palate: Nicely mineral at first, with oil lamps, polished brass, copper coins, peat kilns and brick dust. Then green apples, pears, lime juice, wood sorrel, brown butter, dandelion leaves and roasted green peppers.
  • Finish: That grassy, floral smokiness lingers along with a sense of earth and stones.

Our journey then continued with an amusing and educational exploration with Dave Worthington and fellow Canadian Sam Simmonds at That Boutique-y Whisky Co!

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Paris Whisky Live 2022 – Lagg Masterclass

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I’ve made no secret of my love affair with Arran whiskies – cemented by time spent on the Island visiting both the Lochranza and Lagg Distillery. So at Paris Whisky Live, I jumped on the opportunity to explore further…

Our guide was Mariella Romano, who joined the group in 2019, and the focus of the Masterclass was to introduce the new expressions from their Lowland Lagg Distillery.

So what did we try? A trio of 1st releases with:

  • Batch 1 – Lagg 3 year 1st Fill Bourbon Cask (Summer 2023) 50%
  • Batch 2 – Lagg 3 year (30 month ex-Bourbon, 6 months Olorosso) 2023 50%
  • Batch 3 – Lagg 3 year (30 month ex-Bourbon, 6 months Roja Red) 2023 50%

We began with the Lagg 3 year 1st Fill Bourbon Cask (Summer 2023) 50% 50 PPM

  • Nose – Herbal notes to start, young, fresh mash, clean and sweet with a grassy rather than medicinal peat, a hint of heather and puff of smoke
  • Palate – Very promising, creamy with a citrus zest
  • Finish – Nicely lingers, more so than I had expected from such a young dram

What we tried was literally bottled the week before! It then officially launched in France on Oct 1, 2022 (after Paris Whisky Live!) as an inaugural limited summer release. Mariella shared that they see their peat as more “Aberdeen west coast style”, gentler than the robust peat monsters some Islay distilleries produce.

She also shared how the idea for Lagg’s full focus on peat began with their experiemnt’s with their Lochranza distillery peat expressions – like Machrie Moor and their Cask Strength. Since deciding to set-up the Lagg distillery, they have stopped producing any new peat expressions at Lochranza.

Next up was the Lagg 3 year – 30 month ex-Bourbon, 6 month Olorosso finish (2023) 50% also 50 PPM.

  • Nose – Mmmmm a chocolaty sweet peat, richer than the 1st dram with loads of dark fruit sherry notes, raisins and sweet spices
  • Palate – Very smooth – the sherry finish works wonderfully with the peat
  • Finish – A lovely cinnamon finish

Delicious! In this case, it was initially matured in bourbon casks before being finished for an additional six months in 55 liter ex-Oloroso sherry casks for 6 months. Mariella also mentioned how they used Concerto barley and peat from the North East of Scotland.

She then shared a virtual tour of the new Lagg distiellery (after some small technical hiccups!). While many interesting stories were shared, one element was the contrast between the “mountain” pure water at Lochranza distillery and Lagg distillery’s use of a borehole with distinctly different taste. Another is how important it is to have the significantly expanded space for cask storage at the new facility.

Mariella also shared that while Lochranza (Arran) whiskies are sweet and easy drinking, the intent for Lagg is not just peat but also a deliberately ‘harsher’ quality.

And with that we moved on to the last whisky, closing with Lagg 3 year – 30 month ex-Bourbon, 6 months Rioja Red 2023 50%:

  • Nose – Dry nutty element, sweet cinnamon, a bit herbal
  • Palate – Curious character – some minerals? Also a bit fruity – mostly dark berries, some oak
  • Finish – Wine followed by a cinnamon finish like the Olorosso

The peat in this was quite subtle – and the ex-Rioja red wine Firkan was a bit curious – particularly on the palate. I wish I had tried this with a bit of water, as have a feeling this one needs to open up a bit to reveal its full character.

It was terrific to have a chance to explore these early Lagg expressions. I’m curious to see how they evolve in the coming years.

In the meantime, I remain a complete fan of Lagg’s big sister Lochranza:

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Paris Whisky Live 2022 – VIP Antipodes Caperdonich, Mortlach + Glenfarclas

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Paris Whisky Live was chock full of a dizzying array of offerings – particularly in the VIP section. With such crowds too, it sometimes was a bit of a “get what you can, when you can!” type scenario.

With the Caperdonic & Mortlach, my scant tasting notes didn’t even capture which “Antipode” they were featured… just the photos let on that both were in the 20 year range…

Dubbed “Glen Grant 2”, Caperdonich was founded by J & J Grant around 18978 next to the main Glen Grant distillery. Shut only a few years later in 1902, it was primarily used to supply parts to its sibling across the road. That all changed in 1965 when it was rebuilt by Glenlivet, updating its name to Caperdonic, and resuming production. Changing hands a few times, it stopped production in 2002 and then was demolished just 10 years later.  You can read more here.

So what about this particular cask, bottled by Signatory for La Maison du Whisky?

Caperdonic 22 year (6 July 2000 / 5 Aug 2022) Hogshead Cask #29480 57.6%

  • Colour – Copper
  • Nose – Quite shy initially, then increasingly fruity
  • Palate – Interesting spice, a touch nutty
  • Finish – Gently faded away

A good example of the fruity, nutty character Caperdonich is known for… what a treat.

I then moved on to another exclusive La Maison du Whisky bottling – this time for their “Chapter VII” series…

Mortlach (2012/2022) 58.1%

  • Colour – Brilliant ruby
  • Nose – Sherry and ” boom!” intense and unmistakable sherry aromas
  • Palate – Again – dark rich and heavy sherry influences, veering into rum raisins
  • Finish – Continued in the same vein

What a sherry bomb! Heavy and showing every bit of its age – in a good way!

Like all experiences at a whisky festival, this was just a quick “sniff” and “swish” so please treat these tasting notes as superficial impressions! More of a starting point than a well-informed review.

Glenfarclas 10 year “Family Cask” (17 May 2012 / 20 May 2022) Sherry Hogshead #2504 60.9% (LMdW) 300 Bottles

I hope I can be forgiven for just a few scribbles for this next whisky – from the reliable Glenfarclas family stable – my notes literally state only:

Classic sherry nose, nice spicy sherry on the palate – lively and bursting with character.

Check out more interesting experiences from Whisky Live Paris here.

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LMdW Artist Series #12 – The Fierce Ledaig 15+ year

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The last La Maison du Whisky’s Artist Series #12 at Paris Whisky Live 2022 I sampled was a move to Tobermoray distillery with a heavily peated whisky. I knew this was the one to close – after this, anything subtle or nuanced would be lost without a proper palate cleanser! And it didn’t disappoint!

What more do the folks at LMdW have to say (courtesy of Google translate)?

  • Nose : rich, concentrated. Particularly intense and evocative, the first nose reveals a rather dry compact peat, rooty and at the same time of great elegance. Then, aromas of cherries in eau-de-vie and apricot highlight the quality of aging in sherry casks, very well integrated. Allowed to breathe, the aromatic palette becomes increasingly heady (lily, freesia), exotic (mango, persimmon) and superbly chocolaty. The whole shows a radiant harmony.
  • Appearance : orange copper.
  • Palate : lively, tempestuous. Percussive, the attack on the palate is a faithful synthesis of the nose. Very quickly, however, an increasingly chocolatey and above all more saline peat takes things in hand. In the mid-palate, it takes on medicinal (arnica), camphorated, animal (bacon) and empyreumatic (sandalwood, chimney fire) tones. The finish suggests a distillate with fruity (raspberry) and lemony flavors.
  • Overall : long, deep. Marked by notes of slightly damp earth, the start of the finish is subtly floral (poppy, cornflower, violet). The peat has calmed down, becoming more liquoricey and finely peppery. With its flavors of curry and ylang-ylang, the aftertaste is undeniably oriental. In the retro-nasal olfaction, once again very present, peat occupies the center of the palate, allowing the deliciously sweet juice of a ripe apricot to flow. The empty glass is nobly spiced (cardamom, saffron, ginger)

And this concludes my journey through the Artist Series #12 with:

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Paris Whisky Live 2022 – VIP Antipodes with Arran 10 + 25 year

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Where to start? After the rather overwhelmingly long VIP line, I was finally in Paris Whisky Live and made my way to part of the VIP section. With all the crowds around the ‘popular’ Antipodes, I wandered my way to a curious one that combined whisky and beer.

Naturally, my eye quickly spotted Arran whiskies and I thought, why not warm up the palate with a friendly favourite?

Arran 10 year (05 Oct 2011 – 11 July 2022) 1st Fill Bourbon Cask 2011/1871 55.2% (LMdW Antipode bottle 163 of 224)

Knowing the Arran 10 year standard, I dove immediately into their 10-year Private Cask at cask strength – nothing like going from 0% to 55.2%!

It was exactly as expected! A lovely sunshine ex-bourbon dram with honey, fruity, cheerful cherries, berries, and more! Throw in some warm vanilla cream, a dash of slightly citrus notes closing with a sweet summery finish, What a lovely way to calibrate the palate for treats to come!

Arran 25 year (05 Aug 1996 – 11 Jul 2022) Sherry Hogshead 1996/892 51.5% (LMdW Antipode bottle 267 of 268)

I then moved on to the Arran 25 year…. This was not my 1st brush with their older whiskies, having been fortunate to try the 2020 25-year at the Lochranza distillery from the cask before it was bottled – a cask strength marvel that showcased just how carefully considered the approach was from the start. However what about this slightly later avatar?

  • Colour – Deep ruby, almost garnet
  • Nose – What a fabulous sherry bomb! Gorgeous rich character
  • Palate – Starts soft and silky smooth, then morphs into dark berries, chocolate
  • Finish – A long strong beautiful finish

What a wonderfully well-rounded mature dram. An absolute treasure!

This was no gentle start but instead going straight into the sublime! Clearly, I started my Paris Whisky Live 2022 in the right way!

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