Arran is a distillery I respect; even if it doesn't necessarily blow me out of my shoes with every glass, it is consistently high quality with unusual angles, and presented in a quality way. They are a recent distillery - they only opened in 1995 - and before them, the most recent official distillery closed in 1837 (!). Of course, in the intervening years there was a lot of moonshining. It operated at a loss for years, and the original owner Harold Currie sold out and resigned in 2003. Apparently they started turning things around back in 2010. These days they have a respectable if not dominant market position.
This bottle - matured seven years entirely in "high quality" sherry butts (unsure exactly what that entails) and presented at a very nice 55.8% ABV - is no exception. No coloring, no filtering. Let's dive in:
Nose: Nutty, leathery, cognac, strawberry, vanilla. Cherry cola. Chocolate. Dates. Exactly what you'd expect from a young sherry-matured whisky.
Mouthfeel: Rich, oily.
Palate: Dry sherry (fino or palo cortado), dry red wine notes all over the place, soft cognac. Very hot - the 55.8% really stamps itself onto your tongue. Chocolate, perhaps even cocoa dust. Cherry. Nuts soaked in olive oil.
Finish: Dry sherry notes - grape skins, oak tannins, wine gums, etc. A little more chocolate perhaps.
Verdict: There are basically two types of sherry types you find in scotch - the raisin-sweet Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez varieties, and the leathery/woody dry Fino and Manzanilla varieties. I don't think I've ever seen a scotch aged any amount of time in an Amontillado cask - don't know why.
This is a good example of the "dry" style, especially considering how young it is. I am curious what the 15-year version of this would taste like. It has lots and lots of rich, powerful sherry notes that are all very "pure" - unadulterated? - and well presented. I'm a fan! I would pick this up any day. Thanks to Rob Martin for the sample! Recommended.
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