All the Arran I've had - which is somewhat limited to samplings from three bottles - has been very good stuff, and always has a bit of an unusual angle to it. This here is their official Sauternes cask finished offering - 8 years in ex-bourbon, an undisclosed amount of time in the Sauternes casks (which is a type of sweet, syrupy dessert wine) - my guess would be a one year finish or less, maybe. Usually distilleries get a little shy about putting single digit ages on the label, so I'd guess it's less than two years for sure.
One of the main reasons I picked this up was because (1) it's an older bottling from 2017 or so, and (2) it's bottled at 50% ABV, which is uncommon. No chill filtration and no coloring, either. So let's dig right in:
Nose: At first it's surprisingly shy and muted. But given some time to unwind I get thick twin notes of pear and honey, honey and pear.
As a big pear fan, this is a very welcome note and a promising start. Beyond the rich pear and honey notes are a bouquet of fragrant spices, hints of malt barley, a soft floral aspect, and eventually some red apples. The longer I let the glass sit, the more sedate the pear note becomes - it goes from extremely ripe to underripe slowly, and adds a melon dimension. After a LOT of time in the glass, I got a bunch of melted white chocolate as well.
With a splash of water: the nose deepens noticeably - apricot, kiwi, and some of the wood notes from the palate come through, the spices get a little more prominent, and some salted caramel comes out. A general saltiness emerges.
Mouthfeel: Thick, cloying, heavy.
Palate: Fresh pear, baking spices, bright orange/tangerine, green grape acid, freshly split wood, freshly turned earth. Surprisingly "woodsy" on the tongue. A pronounced amount of flowers at the end of the development.
With a little water: more vanilla or caramel, less orchard fruit but more tropical fruit (pineapple cocktail), but mostly the same. I prefer it neat.
Finish: Honey, melon, young wood (slightly bitter, astringent, but not too much because its offset by the honey), pepper, cinnamon and cloves. The finish has a nice long, thinning tail to it that lasts a little longer than I would have expected given the youth.
Verdict: A very nice offering from Arran, with a surprisingly earthy/saline/autumnal series of notes, especially with water. But undiluted it's a real pear bomb with a nice halo of fresh wood and baking spices, and well executed - at least this older vintage is. More recent bottles I have no idea.
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