The Basics:
Do I recommend it?: Yes!
Availability: Alas, it is no more.
ABV: 46% abv
Presentation: Unchillfiltered and natural color
General information: n/a
Bottling type: Proprietary (discontinued)
Character: Cereal, light, fruity and citric.
Score: 91/100
The details:
Arran has a long history of farm distilling. When farm distilling was effectively outlawed in the 18th century, illegal stills and smuggling were common. A short-lived distillery at Lagg operated for roughly a decade in the early 19th century, but after that, legal distilling vanished completely from the island until a consortium led by Harold Currie formerly of Chivas Bros established the current distillery in 1995. It was part of the first wave of a huge distilling boom that has swept the Scotch whisky industry; when it was founded, there would have been around 94 active distilleries in Scotland, give or take a mothballed facility. Now there are at least another 40 or so in operation.
Like many new distilleries, Arran started releasing whisky almost as soon as mature stocks were available (I used to have a bottle of the original Arran malt, with no age statement). They were early trendsetters for new distilleries, generally bottling with integrity presentation. As it has hit its stride, the whisky has been consistently loved by whisky critics and enthusiasts, with this lovely 14 year old and a similarly delicious 10 year old garnering much praise. The original distillery enjoyed such success that the owners built a new distillery at Lagg in 2019, with the original Arran distillery renamed “Lochranza”.
In my experience, early releases from what is now known as the Lochranza distillery were lovely, delicate, floral, citric, cereal-forward drams that might easily be mistaken for a superior Lowland whisky. That was very much the case with this sadly discontinued 14 year old, a beautiful little whisky, well worth your while if you can still find any at auction.
Arran 14, 46% abv
Bottling Information:
Expression: Arran 14
Bottler: Proprietor
Range: Core (old)
Bottle Code: L 03 06 12 3 14:51 BB
Presentation: Unchillfiltered and natural color
Details: n/a
Price: $60-80
Availability: Good luck finding this one, even at auction. A much-loved expression that has been discontinued for quite a number of years now.
Distillery Information:
Region: Highlands
Location: Lochranza, Isle of Arran
Geography: Inland
Date Founded: 1995
Owner: Isle of Arran Distillers
Website: https://www.arranwhisky.com/
Capacity: 1,200,000
Plant Summary: MASH TUN: Semi-Lauter; WASHBACKS: 5 Wood; STILLS: 4; HEAT SOURCE: Indirect steam through a bank of thin, stainless steam plates; CONDENSER: Shell and Tube
Total expressions sampled: 5
Overall distillery score: S-
Tasting notes:
Nose: Sweet, lemon. Vanilla. Pronounced Bourbon influence. Perfectly ripened banana and also plum. There’s a cereal foundation, but the fruit notes are dominant. Butterscotch. Fresh cut hay.
Body: Medium, oily.
Palate: Fresh green grapes. White peach. Cereal notes are in evidence here. Sandalwood. There’s sweetness here, but it’s restrained by astringent notes. Carrot cake underneath? Lemon-poppy seed muffin. Complex. Creamy.
Finish: Lingering and drying—sweet basil? Tobacco? Balanced. Sweetness and dryness dance together.
Score: 91/100
Who should buy it?: Whisky lovers all! Alas, this particular iteration has gone bye-bye. If you come across an old bottle at auction for anything under $120 or so, I’d say it’s worth snapping it up.
Overall thoughts: Even though this is technically a Highland whisky (or an islander, if you go against the SWA and consider the islands a distinct region), to me this beauty typifies a top notch Lowlander–delicate, citric, and malt/cereal forward.
If you enjoyed this review and would like to make a small donation to support this site, please click here.
Whisky Considered 