I tried a Scotch last night I have been aware of for awhile now, but never had much interest in, as the distillery is very new (founded 1995).

However, that was kind of silly of me. The whisky was tasty and it turns out that Arran and the Arran distillery have an interesting backstory with a lot of history.

The distillery was founded by Harold Currie, who is a former director of Chivas. It is the first legal distillery to exist on the island (Arran Isle) in over 150 years, as all operations prior have been "moonlight" or illegal operations (this anarchist approves! :)). The Arran distillery has a unique cask ownership program where patrons can actually buy and own their own cask and store it on site at the distillery.

To read the whole back story, check the wiki article here:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arran_distillery

But enough about that, on to the review!

Nose.

Stewed oranges, coconut, citrus. The nose was somewhat difficult for me to pull apart. Complex and pleasant.

Body.

A nice mouthfeel with a rounded richness of subdued fruits, citrus, and vanilla and coconut sweetness. The taste, as best I can describe it, is a mellowed roundness. I prefer more heavily charactered expressions, but this dram was enjoyable.

Finish.

A satisying, cinnamon finish.

Rating: 3.4 / 5 stars.

My rating here is based more on my flavor preferences more than the quality of this bottle. For the distillery's youth, the Arran 10 Year is a surprisingly complex, enjoyable experience. Don't let the packaging (I thought it looked somewhat generic) or the "founded" date on the bottle fool you. A good value for your money.

Thanks for joining me once again!

~KafkA

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Graham Smith is a Voluntaryist activist, creator, and peaceful parent residing in Niigata City, Japan. Graham runs the "Voluntary Japan" online initiative with a presence here on Steem, as well as Facebook and Twitter. Hit me up so I can stop talking about myself in the third person!