The Arran Malt

[williammackinnon]

Having attended Whisky Live Glasgow 2004, I feel I must sing the praises of the Isle of Arran Distillers range of whiskies.

My particular favourite was the non chill filtered Malt (46% vol.)

Robust, sweet & complex were words that sprung to mind when I drank this. Bloody lovely were another two!

All the more remarkable seeing as they only opened in 1995! If this is what their whisky is like now, it bodes very well for the future.

[Lawrence]

Yes, I've tried a limited editon, the Cognac finish and one for the SMWS matured in a Gorda, it was very nice for such a young whisky. Our Club has bought the Port finish and will be tasting it next year. They should be very happy with the positive response from the buying public and they are not that far away from releasing a 10 year old.

[Tom]

Arran is already good and absolutely promising indeed.
We had an Arran tasting couple of months back with Ian Mitchell, the distillery manager, in our whiskyclub.
We had the Arran, Robert burns single malt, Robert burns blend, the unchill filtered, and then single cask cask strength Cognac finish, sherry finish and bourbon finish. The single casks were by far the best. The cognac cask was the most complex, the bourbon was "too" sweet, and the sherry cask was just fantastic in any way.
After the tasting i had some contact trough e-mail with Arran and i must say that they are extremely friendly at the distillery. they even insisted to post me all their info trough mail instead of e-mail.
So, if they keep making these promising malts and keep up the tremendous customer service i think we have a "great" one coming.

[Frodo]

At a whisky tasting I went to about a month ago, I tried both the chill filtered and non-chilled versions of the Arran malt. The chilled was kind of boring, but the non-chilled was really good. Good enough that I went out and got a bottle.

Funny thing happened aterwards though. I started second-guessing myself, paying C$60 for a bottle of malt with no age statement, and promptly returned the bottle. Going on taste alone, I was on the fence about buying it. But paying what a 10 or 12 yr old goes for rubbed me the wrong way. Funny, but I don't think this way when I buy bourbon.

I really look foreward to a 10yr old non-chill filtered version in the future. And I would seriously like to try that cognac or port-finish versions.

Frodo

[Lawrence]

It's a funny thing what our preconceptions can do to us isn't it? Very few would argue that the Aberlour A'bunadh is not worth the price of C$76.95 yet it doesn't have an age statement. So far I've found all the Arran's to be worth the price and I can't wait to try the Port Wood Finnish.

[Admiral]

I sampled some Arran new make spirit last week! Straight off the stills and into a bottle.

It was deliciously sweet and nutty, very oily and chewy, and - surprisingly - not overly rough considering it hadn't seen the inside of a cask yet.

Add some spirit caramel, and you could have passed it off as a Very Young Arran!!

I haven't tried any matured Arran yet, but all the signals and opinions of others seem to suggest that it will become a well respected malt.

Cheers,
Admiral

[Laphroaig]

Was able to try some Aarans about 6 months ago courtesy of Mr. P. Wilkens. What I found interesting was the variation in what I tasted between the (3) bottles he presented. The first wasn’t very Island in style, (the chill filtered), if you ask me. Another thing that struck me as odd, if I remember correctly he said at that time the cask strength bottle was chill filtered but hinted that it was (soon NOT to be).

All and all I have to agree, from what I tasted this brand is well on its way. Great point about the age statement Lawrence. While I perfectly understand the rationale Frodo used, this isn’t a case I would have applied that train of thought. Stuff like Macallan’s 1861 and their other replica bottles that want 18-25 year old money for whisky no more than 14 years in average age makes me cringe if I apply critical thinking skills at the time of consideration for purchase.

Of course there are also times when the age statements are in plain view but the younger whisky is more desirable than the more matured. I’d gladly pay more for a bottle of the Old Talisker 8 than the standard 10. Lagavulin’s 12 I’d take over the 16 if it were anywhere in the neighborhood of reasonably priced by comparison. Off the top of my head that’s two quick examples where the age itself is not of importance but rather what’s in the bottle and how much it costs. If the cost of what I taste seems fair then the ""actual"" age becomes irrelevant.

[Aidan]

I went to an Arran tasting last year (or maybe the year before). Everyone loved what was on offer, except me, for some reason.

The favorate on the night was one finished in a Calvados barrel. Very interesting malt indeed.

I'll have to give them another try.

[Gov]

I know this thread is old, but I tasted the 10 year old non-chill filtered at WhiskyFest last Friday and was absolutely floored by how good it was! I found a bottle at a nearby liquor store and got it today. Before I give any tasting notes based off something I had 5 days ago, I want to have another dram again.

[LeoDLion]

I bought a bottle of Arran in Northen California around Dec. 2007 and immediately like it. I forgot the particular expression but it was cask strength. After a bit of water, the bouquet came out and it taste wonderful. I bought and finish a bottle just last weekend, this one was 10 yrs old. Its becoming a favorite.

[LeoDLion]

I sampled some Arran new make spirit last week! Straight off the stills and into a bottle.

It was deliciously sweet and nutty, very oily and chewy, and - surprisingly - not overly rough considering it hadn't seen the inside of a cask yet.

Add some spirit caramel, and you could have passed it off as a Very Young Arran!!

I haven't tried any matured Arran yet, but all the signals and opinions of others seem to suggest that it will become a well respected malt.

Cheers,
Admiral

You must be touring the Island of Arran, Admiral? Straight from the still, they let you do that? I am envious.

[Klas]

I like Arran
It has grown better and better over the years. I first tasted it as 5 years old and I must say I like the 10 years and cask strength version better.

I tested the Cru Champagne version at Whisky Live Glasgow 2006, but that was a bit too fruity for me.

I got the Arran Gordons dram, cask 31, 46% at home, but haven't got the opportunity to test it yet...

[Ganga]

I've had a few Arran. Three that stand out to me as being quite good are the Hardy cognac finish, the Whisky Galore 10 yo, and the SMSW 9 yo. The other younger ones needed more time.

[LeoDLion]

I've had a few Arran. Three that stand out to me as being quite good are the Hardy cognac finish, the Whisky Galore 10 yo, and the SMSW 9 yo. The other younger ones needed more time.

How do you guys remember the name of each expression? Even the age! Do you keep a record?

[Ganga]

I keep a spreadsheet that identifies most aspects from the bottling. Included is size of bottle, anything on finishing, bottle number, cask designation, etc. Last check was at about 1030 smsw.

[Gov]

I keep a spreadsheet that identifies most aspects from the bottling. Included is size of bottle, anything on finishing, bottle number, cask designation, etc. Last check was at about 1030 smsw.

Your a "wild man"

[Single Malt Kommunist]

3 weeks ago, I tried the Arran matured in a single Sherry Cask @ 46%, and found it to be well worth the €45 price.

[recordmeister]

we've done a review of the Arran Founders Reserve at http://www.caskstrength.net and a very good whisky it is too.

[Willie JJ]

I think Arran is a great dram and my only reservations centre around the finishing experiments. Like so many such experiments at other distilleries I like the principle of experimentation, but I think in most cases they just don't improve the whisky. The standard Arran 10yo and the 100 proof version are excellent and the finishes did nothing for me in comparison. Not even the Hardy Cognac.