[WHISKY] Let's Stay on The Isle of Arran a Bit Longer 🥃

steemswede (70)in #whisky • 8 years ago (edited)

Since I was so impressed with the Sauternes finished Arran I thought we'd go straight to their standard bottle, the 10 year old single malt that was officially launched in 2006. If you'd like to know more about the distillery I suggest you read my article on the Sauternes expression. I can however briefly tell you about why there are two eagles embossed on their bottles. During the construction of the distillery they were forced to take a break for a few months when a pair of golden eagles chose to nest on the building site. The same eagles flew by and showed off to the impressed audience during the opening ceremony on August 17, 1995, which resulted in big headlines in the local press.

Arran 10 Year Old

ABV: 46%
Age: 10yo
Region: Arran
Price: ~40 USD / 0.7L
Un-chill filtered & Natural color

Appearance: White wine.

Nose: A lovely light and fruity scent. This 10 year old is really inviting. Not a trace of smokiness. There's vanilla and apple together with a hint of white chocolate. The apple note slightly reminds me of apple juice concentrate. In a deeper layer there's also plum tartness around a shade of orange brittle. I can also scent traces of blackcurrant and slightly spicy ginger. After some aeration, beautiful floral notes come forward. No youthness in this one and plenty of character.

Palate: Distinct fruits such as apple and orange that give the whisky a quite tart impression. Freshly picked sorrel. There's also a wonderfully tingling spiciness dancing on the tongue somewhat balanced by vanilla sweetness. With a few drops of water the floral notes open up also on the palate, together with nutty aromas (bitter almonds?) and ripe honeydew melon. A quite oily mouth-feel.

Finish: The aftertaste consisting of fruity vanilla and that closes in oaky bitterness is unusually long for a ten year old. More juicy and mouthwatering than it's dry.

Conclusion: After this most fresh and genuine dram I can conclude that I'm starting to fall in love with this little independent distillery. A beautiful piece of work where you get the character of the distillery without anything that interferes. Really good value for the money. This is 90 points out of 100 in my book.