Hello everyone,
Just a few Arran’s today for your enjoyment: 12 cask strength, the Portwood finish and an IB from a Marsala cask.
Arran, of course, is the only distillery on the Isle of Arran and they are doing rather well since they started in 1993.
Arran 12 Cask Strength 4th Ed. 53.2%
Colour: Gold
Body: Medium/Full
Nose: Big, sweet and quite old school. Sweet green apple, lots of pear, cherry, fresh esters, toffee, the oak is definitely there- Dry oak, tannins. Some sherry in the background. Coffee and a little chocolate developing.
Water: More sherry, more coffee, more chocolate, a LOT more cherry, more oak, more tannins. Cherry sweets. Pepper and ginger after a bit.
Taste: Creamy arrival, building intense sweetness with huge apple and pear sweetness, vanilla, honey, dry oak, cherry, tannins into the finish.
Water: More sweetness, cherry, fizzy cherry sweets, oak coming through strong with tannins and drying with chocolate and splintered wood. After a bit the spice really develops with pepper and hot ginger (a bit of heat).
Finish: Medium length. Toffee and then dark chocolate hit.
Water: Longer finish with more oak.
74/100
Arran Port Cask Finish 50%
Colour:Rose
Body: Medium/Full
Nose: Malty and spicy. Pastry, strudel and cinnamon, some vanilla. Dark fruit behind- Blueberry.
Water: Opens up with more earthy pastry and more aromatic spice- Coriander.
Taste: Soft arrival, then kicks up with building spices and fruity port with blueberry. Some alcohol.
Water: More spicy with coriander.
Finish: Medium length. Fruit and spice.
72/100
Arran 1997 Berry Brothers & Rudd Single Cask 46%
From a Marsala wine cask (I assume finished), bottled 2013. 16 years old.
Colour: Gold
Body: Medium
Nose: Malty and sweet, fruit- apple and pear, then curry! Yes, curry spice- coriander and Masala curry paste. Are we sure it wasn’t a Masala cask? Eh? Oh, forget it.
Taste: Malty, lots of sweet apple, developing grape, spice and coriander.
Finish: Medium length. Spices finish.
73/100
Reviews #177-179
Network Average: 74.4
Best Score: 91
Worst Score: 44
0-49 Terrible
50-59 Bad
60-64 Just About OK
65-69 Ok to Good
70-74 Good
75-79 Very Good
80-84 Excellent
85-89 Superb
90+ Magnificent
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