• Founded: 1993
• Status: Operational
• Region: Island, Scotland – Lochranza, Isle of Arran KA27 8HJ +44(0)1770 830264
• Online: https://www.arranwhisky.com/

History Arran distillery is a whisky distillery in Lochranza, Scotland, the only distillery on the Isle of Arran. In 1994 Arran Distillers was founded by Harold Currie, former director of Chivas with the intention of building a distillery on Arran. During the construction of the distillery, a pair of Golden Eagles built their nest on a cliff near the distillery; since Golden Eagles are a protected species, construction of the distillery was temporarily halted. The distillery opened in 1995. There used to be about fifty distilleries on the island, but most of them were “moonlight” or illegal distilleries. The most recent legally founded distillery on Arran, called ‘Lagg’, closed in 1837. Until recently a proportion of the casks were stored in the warehouses of Springbank, due to a lack of room in the distillery, and the legal impossibility of extending the current warehouses at the Arran distillery. However, the distillery now has a revolutionary storage warehouse, on site, that allows easier access to barrels. The distillery offers a cask purchase scheme which offers private individuals the opportunity to own their own cask of whisky, which can be stored on site at the distillery.

The Arran Distillery is a patron of the World Burns Federation and as such has created a Robert Burns Single Malt and Robert Burns Blended Whisky in honour of Scotland’s National Poet. They are the only whisky distillery to be able to use the image and signature of Robert Burns on their packaging. The whisky of Arran is mostly used to produce their Single Malt Whisky, but a small proportion also goes into the production of their range of blended whiskies : Lochranza Blend, Robert Burns Blend and Arran Gold Single Malt Whisky Cream Liqueur. The Arran Distillery is now owned by a group of private shareholders and the Managing Director is Euan Mitchell. 2010 saw the release of a 15th Anniversary bottling on the occasion of the Distillery Open Day on 3 July. Autumn 2010 also saw the release of the first official 14-year-old to be released by the Distillery. The first peated Arran Single Malt (called Machrie Moor) has been available since December 8, 2010.

The Whiskyphiles tasting notes

Official Bottling

• Arran 10 Years Old (46%, OB, 2015)
• Arran 10 Years Old 2005 French Oak (59%, OB, Barrique #22, 386 Bottles, 2015)
• Arran 12 Years Old Cask Strength Batch 5 (52.9%, OB, 2015)
• Arran 14 Years Old (46%, OB, 2015)
• Arran 18 Years Old (46%, OB, 2016)
• Arran 18 Years Old 1st Release (46%, OB, 2015)
• Arran Amarone Cask Finish (50%, OB, 2014)
• Arran Lochranza Reserve (43%, OB, 2015)

Independent Bottling

A.D.Rattray

• Arran 6 Years Old Oloroso Sherry Octave Finish – The Octave Project (57%, A.D. Rattray, 2018)
• Arran 6 Years Old Original Bourbon Barrel – The Octave Project (59.3%, A.D Rattray, 2018)
• Arran 6 Years Old PX Sherry Octave Finish – The Octave Project (55.4%, A.D. Rattray, 2018)
• Arran 6 Years Old Rioja Octave Finish – The Octave Project (57.6%, A.D. Rattray, 2018)
• Arran 6 Years Old Rum Octave Finish – The Octave Project (57.3%, A.D. Rattray, 2018)

Berry Bros & Rudd

• Arran 16 Years Old 1997 (46%, Berry Bros. & Rudd, Marsala Finish Cask#2, 2013)

Cadenhead

• Arran 18 Years Old 1996 Single Cask (50.9%, WM Cadenhead, Bourbon HH, 192 Bottles, 2015)

Claxton’s

• Arran 21 Years Old 1996 The Single Cask (52.1%, Claxton’s, Sherry Puncheon #1843-939, 609 Bottles, 2018)

Gleann Mor

• Arran 19 Years Old 1996 A Rare Find (48.8%, Gleann Mór, 2015)

Private Cask

• Arran 13 Years Old 2001 Glasgow’s Whisky Club (54.7%, Private Cask, Sherry HH #2001/098, 336 Bottles, 2014)
• The Arran Circle Limited Edition (46%, OB, Cask 42, 381 Bottles, 2007)

The Green Welly Stop

• Arran 10 Years Old 2004 The Green Welly Stop 50th (53.5%, OB, Sherry HH #17, 287 Bottles, 2015)

Scotch Malt Whisky Society

• Arran 14 Years Old 1999 121.65 A well-oiled Baseball glove (58.3%, SMWS, Refill Sherry Butt, 756 Bottles, 2013)
• Arran 14 Years Old 1999 121.74 A box of Chocolates (55.7%, SMWS, Refill Bourbon HH, 315 Bottles, 2014)

Whisky Broker

• Arran 17 Years Old 1996 (54%, Whiskybroker, Refill HH #1482, 272 Bottles, 2015)
• Arran 18 Years Old 1996 (52.7%, Whiskybroker, Refill HH #777, 256 Bottles, 2015)
• Arran 18 Years Old 1996 (49.3%, Whiskybroker, HH #884 & Oloroso octave finish, 81 Bottles, 2015)
• Arran 18 Years Old 1996 (53.2%, Whiskybroker, HH #1023, 292 Bottles, 2015)
• Arran 18 Years Old 1996 (55.3%, Whiskybroker, HH #884 & PX octave finish, 81 Bottles, 2015)