Arran 21st Anniversary Limited Edition

(52.6%, matured in ex-Oloroso sherry hogsheads, 5,988 bottles, 2016 Limited Edition, ~$210 CAD)

A limited edition released in late 2016 to celebrate Arran’s 21st anniversary, this bottling is made using whisky distilled during the first 3 years of production (from 1995 to 1997).

• Nose: Red apple, honey, mango, hazelnut, citrus, nutmeg, hint of cocoa
• Taste: Stewed apples, cinnamon, honey, walnuts, milk chocolate, grass, white pepper
• Finish: Malt, pear, cinnamon, almond paste
• 89/100

Fresh and lively nose, with a sweet bouquet of fruits from the start. With time, nuts and baking spices kick in to round it out. Waxy texture. Apples (cooked now) and spice lead off the palate, transitioning into rich nuts and cocoa sweetness (along with a hint of a sour note) and then into a grassy maltiness which persists through the finish.

Very nice progression throughout this one. It’s simultaneously full flavoured and yet fairly relaxed. The oloroso influence provides a good complement to the base Arran spirit, giving it a nice complexity but never coming close to taking over. I haven’t always gotten along with Arran (especially the younger iterations) but this is tasty stuff. Well done.