Arran 14 Years Old

Whisky Review

• Arran Distillery
• Isle of Arran Distillers
• 46% ABV
• £40.99
• Score: 86/100

What they say:

The Arran 14 year-old is an immensely popular part of our core range of Single Malt. It is a perfectly balanced marriage of both first fill Sherry and Bourbon casks and is a righly rewarding Single Malt with depth of character and zest. It captures perfectly all the fresh character of the Arran 10 year-old with an added layer of intensity and fruitiness.

Colour:

Sunset Copper

Nose:

Dried fruits, vanilla and toffee up front. With a little water a salty tang appears, with caramelised fruits indicating a depth of flavour to come.

Palate:

An initial burst of brine leads onto warming toffee apples and hazelnuts. This is followed by dates, chocolate orange and spiced tea cake. The mouthfeel is overwhelmingly rich and weighty.

Finish:

A trademark Arran finish with cinnamon spices leading back to where the experience began, with a classic island-style salty wave balancing the sweet fruit of the palate.

What I say:

The Arran 14 year old was released in 2010 to replace the 12 year old within their range. This expression has been matured for 12 years then finished for 2 years in either fresh ex-bourbon or ex-sherry hogsheads to add a fruity nature to the Arran core flavour. We had the pleasure of sampling this dram at the start of our tour of the Isle of Arran distillery and it certainly impressed us!

Colour:

Rich barley gold (7/20), slow medium-sized droplet tears leave fine trails

Nose:

Sweet and a little musty, plenty of cereal barley malt, some sweet honey with a twist of citric lemon juice, a mixture of powdered and crystallized ginger spice, rich dark chocolate, fruity orchard fruits such as peach, pear and plum, a little chalky like pez fruit pastille sweets, some floral aromas and hints of leathery sherry influence

Taste:

Syrupy sweet, plenty of honey and golden syrup, a good backbone of Arran cereal barley malt, the fruits a little zestier on the palate, again peach, pear and plum are all evident but the zestiness develops into a nutty marzipan, toffee and caramel sauce, woody oak then chocolate with hazelnuts

Finish:

Medium-length, sweet and zesty with a little spicy white pepper

Overall:

A definite sherry influence lightly pervades this typically malty and sweetly cerealed Arran expression. A nice balance has been achieved with a little musty sherry ageing lightened by a zestier fruity nature too.