Arran 10 year old versus Arran 10 year old

(Arran mini-cluster homepage)

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, it's been a long time since I focused on Arran single malt. But when I did, I found the whisky peaking in its official 10 and 14 year old expressions. The spirit sang clearest in the 10, while the oak merged perfectly at 14. At 16 and 18 years old, the standard releases already started to tilt too oaky. Single casks could shine when older, but that, of course, depended on the cask. Meanwhile, I saved money enjoying the best stuff, the 10 and 14. And then Arran discontinued the 14 year old in 2019.

So, here I am left with the Ten. I have one sample from my own bottle that I reviewed almost eight years ago. Back then it had "the new label". Now I have sample from the new new label bottling that arrived on USA shores in 2020. The two whiskies have the same 46%/NC/NCF presentation, but do they have the same cask make-up? I don't know. The older bottlings were a mix of bourbon and sherry casks, with many refills in the mix. The official website offers not even a smidgen of cask detail. Unofficial listings show both only "Bourbon", while others list "Bourbon casks, and a small amount of refill sherry casks". So I'm not sure how this will play out.

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Arran 10 year old, bottled in 2014, 46%abv
(from my bottle)

pic source

Barley and oats show up first in the nose, followed by grapefruit, citronella candles, and yuzu peels, with moss and fresh rosemary in the background. A few drops of water intensify the fruits and grains, while adding a touch of guava.

Sweet, tart, and bitter citrus all arrive early in the palate, with the sweetness eventually winning out. It's very malty and slightly grassy, with some raw walnuts in the back. A few drops of water bring out the barley, raw nuts, and bitter citrus.

Tangy and bitter citrus mix with the malt in the finish, with a lot of raw barley in the aftertaste. It's all malt and grapefruit after a few drops of water.

This remains a very nice drink, even after exactly eight years in a sample bottle! As per my notes, the barley stays on top throughout, which is good because the spirit is excellent. It might even improve at about 43%abv, but shhhhhhhh. Don't tell Arran.

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Arran 10 year old, bottled in 2020, 46%abv

actual bottle

(thanks to Doctors Springbank for the sample!)

A completely different nose here. It starts with a tangerine, raspberry, and cilantro salad, with roses, grasses, and cherry bubblegum appearing later. It becomes very herbal after a few drops of water, specifically dried savory herbs and paprika. But there's also a hint of nectarine in the midground.

The palate reads more sour than tangy. Wormwood bitterness meets cracked black peppercorns, and a hint of malt. It becomes less of a fight after a few drops of water, but it's still plenty bitter. The barley is rawer and some pencil shavings show up, but there's definitely a peachy note in the back.

It finishes with with grains, iron, and a grassy bitterness. A few drops of water turn it into a pile of bitter citrus peels and peppercorns.

This one is fiercer and sharper, in need of some level of complexity on the palate, though I'm impressed that the distillery went with such a ruffian for its 10 year old. The nose has that complexity and is endlessly sniffable, which brings up the rating.

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WORDS WORDS WORDS

I'm very surprised by the difference between these two batches. It doesn't seem like the same distillery. The 2020 feels more "Craft Whisky" and younger, but at least it's not full of new oak. Both whiskies open up with slight dilution, and both noses dazzle, but the 2014 bottling reads more honed and complete. I'd buy a bottle of the 2014 batch any day. Though I'd drink the 2020 bottling again, I have no interest in purchasing it.

Arran 10 year old, bottled 2014 - 85 (with water)

Arran 10 year old, bottled 2020 - 81 (with water)

The mini cluster of Arran single malts begins!

I miss Arran's single malts. The distillery's standard offerings used to be part of my whisky cabinet's regular rotation, but then I moved from California (where Arrans were easy to find) to Ohio (where Arrans don't exist). Then Arran's range was rebooted and my favorite bottling was discontinued. Now I'm down to my final two official bottles, and my last eight samples. It's time to open them all up!

In 1994, a group of investors, including Harold Currie (former Chivas Master Distiller), broke ground on the Isle of Arran's first legal distillery in more than 150 years. Standing on the northern edge of the island, in Lochranza, the facility began distilling unpeated malt spirit the following year, with peated variants following several years later.

When I started reviewing Arrans, the distillery's capacity was 750,000 annual liters. They've since expanded to 1,200,000 liters per annum, the vast majority of which ends up in bottles of single malt. Unpeated spirit production goes for 46 weeks per year, with the peated runs saved for the other six weeks. The new make spirit is not diluted from its 68.5%abv strength when casked and hauled out to the warehouses.

Officially, the distillery's name has been changed to Lochranza because the owners have opened another Arran distillery, named Lagg, on the southern coast, but old habits die hard, so I'll continue to call the original distillery by the "Arran" name throughout this cluster.

Tomorrow, a comparison of two batches of the 10 year old......

ARRAN CLUSTER ROLL CALL:

1. Arran 10 year old (bottled 2014) - "...the barley stays on top throughout, which is good because the spirit is excellent."
2. Arran 10 year old (bottled 2020) - "...fiercer and sharper, in need of some level of complexity on the palate..."
3. Arran 18 year old (ca. 2020) - "Perhaps Arran's sherry cask management has improved over the years..."
4. Arran 14 year old 2002, private cask 2002/587 - "...LOVE the nose......like the palate......prefer it neat."
5. Arran 16 year old 1997, cask 217 for the USA - "...works much better at full strength, where it's more complex and delicious."
6. Arran 21 year old 1996, cask 596 for Spec's - "I think the oakiness would appeal to the American palate, or at least the Texan one..."
7. Arran 20 year old 1998, cask 82, 20th Anniversary Trilogy for Japan - "...here it is at 20, feeling older than its age, and not in a glamorous way."
8. Arran 24 year old 1996, cask 1996/904 for Nickolls & Perks - "It's the sort of cask-driven winesky......with which I can get on board."
9. Arran 14 year old (bottled 2010) - "...I was worried that this Arran 14 would never live up to my expectations. Yet it does, and more."
10. Arran 14 year old (bottled 2017) - "...warmer and spicier, but the fruits remain, and the wood never takes over."

Spirit of Freedom 30 year old blended whisky

Commemorating the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn (wherein Robert the Bruce kicked the English directly in the spotted dick), Spirit of Freedom 30 year old was one of Frank McHardy-sensei's final creations for Springbank Distillers. And I, for one, am terribly disappointed that he DIDN'T USE 700 YEAR OLD WHISKY. Whaaaaaaaat a cop out.

Spirit of Freedom arrived at UK retailers at a sensational price in 2014, and was probably the last 30 year old scotch in history to have an SRP of £75. Yes, I should have gotten a bottle while I could have, when seemingly every retailer on the planet shipped to the US, but I did not. And it took almost a decade to source a sample. Let's see how it holds up next to Wednesday's 5 year old.

(pic source)

Brand: Spirit of Freedom
Bottler: Springbank Distillers Ltd.

Type: blended whisky

Age: minimum 30 years

Contents: 75% malt / 25% grain
Maturation: bourbon and sherry casks

Bottled: 2014

Outturn: 2014 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltered? No
e150a? No
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The nose begins with a note of dough+apple+brine that's a direct line to the 5yo blended malt, then it improves from there. Dunnage, black walnuts, and date rolls. Burlap, oats, and honey.

Ooooooh, passionfruit and white nectarines start the palate, followed by dates, dunnage, and guava. It has a mild sweetness and good bitterness, but a watery mouthfeel.

It finishes with a flawless balance of tart and sweet. Grapefruits and dates. Some nice bitterness as well.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Sorry to disappoint everyone, but this is not 30 year old Springbank, instead its malt is from five distilleries "around Scotland". If there was Springbank present, it would have to be at least 35 years old due to the distillery's mothballed status between 1979 and 1987. And if you think there's 35+ year old Springbank in a $100 bottling, then you are PERFECT for the current whisky marketplace.

More to the point, this is delicious whisky. It's too fragile and thinly textured to be A-grade, for which the grain whisky and some underproof malt (35yo Springbank?!?!?) may be to blame. But it's still a casual delight. So fire up that time machine, folks, and pick up some bottles in 2014.

Availability - Secondary market?
Pricing - £75 or €110 upon release
Rating - 88

Campbeltown Blended Malt 5 year old 2014 Thompson Brothers

When I review a blended malt, it's usually an old whisky. Today I'll review a wee one, all of 5 years old, from the Brothers Thompson. The label has a busy looking Japanese noodle dish (complete with Narutomaki!) and the magic word, "Campbeltown". I've never had ramen on Kintyre (or at Dornoch), but maybe someday...

This whisky toddler was fashioned from two refill hoggies, bearing single malt whiskies from at least one of the three Campbeltown distilleries, and was reduced to 50%abv, possibly for our safety.

(pic source)

Bottler: Thompson Brothers

Type: Blended (or Vatted) Malt

Distilleries: in Campbeltown

Age: 5 years (2014 - 2019)

Maturation: 2 refill hogsheads
Outturn: 816 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 50%
(thank you Doctors Springbank!)

NOTES

Apple and pear juices comprise the nose's clean and bright base, with yeast, moss, and brine layered on top. Notes of anise, wood smoke, and sweaty socks develop with time.

The palate starts with lots of earth and malt, with gentler smoke and sweetness in the back. Salty and peppery Mexican chocolate and bitter orange peels complete the scene.

There's more earth and salt than smoke in the finish, with passing notes of chocolate malt, yuzu, and lemon offering softer character.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Nine times out of 10 I'll complain about whiskies bottled at 3-7 years old, but this blended malt is among the 10% exception. No one will tell you it's not "young", but its earth and fruits arrive and mingle well. The whisky is very drinkable when neat, and sold for a reasonable (in this market) sum upon its release. I do think this could have been fantastic at 2-3 times its age, but it also would have been 4-6 times the price. If you've made a highball out of this whisky, please let me know!

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - €40-50?
Rating - 84

Bourbon and Rye Day Monday: Larceny Barrel Proof bourbon, batch B520

In an attempt to appear to be A Good American™, I am moving BARD Friday to BARD Monday in time for BizarroLand's birthday.

Wheated bourbon is not my thing. I've tried and tried and tried it, and all I know is that it works decently in cocktails due to all its sweetness, and that's it's main happy point for my palate. BUT, I've tried two batches of Larceny Barrel Proof, and found them to be very drinkable on their own, so I went in on a bottle split of batch B520 of Heaven Hill's Larceny Barrel Proof. Would it also be drinkable???

Brand: John E. Fitzgerald Larceny

Distillery: New Bernheim, Louisville, KY

Owner: Heaven Hill

Type: straight bourbon whiskey

Age: ???

Mashbill: 68% Corn, 20% Wheat, 12% Malted Barley (maybe)

Batch: B520

Bottled: May 2020

Alcohol by Volume: 61.1%
(from a bottle split)

I sipped it three ways:

On the rocks - It's simple, not too sweet, honeyed and floral. 👍

Diluted to 50%abv - The nose is......something else. At first one may find Manuka honey, cinnamon, flowers, and overripe bananas. But then it morphs into a very specific smell that sent me down 1990s memory lane: Potpourri bathroom spray unsuccessfully covering up a particularly dank dump. The palate is better. Cinnamon syrup and red hots candies meet flower blossoms and toasty oak spices, resulting a moderate sweet and floral mix. It finishes with bitterer oak, cinnamon, and pancake batter.

Full strength - Overripe cantaloupe leads the nose early on, with barrel char and honey in the background. Almond extract, banana pudding, and vanilla hit join after 20+ minutes. The hotter palate offers apples and pineapples in addition to all those red hots candies. Vanilla and tart cherries arrive later. The hot finish offers sour apple candy, black pepper, and tart cherries.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

It's drinkable indeed, but the nose's farty funk is not my preferred scent. There isn't a ton of vanilla, nor does barrel char dominate, which makes me think the whiskey's young, a good thing in this instance. I'm also impressed by the mellowness of its sweetness. Had I a bottle, I'd mostly use it for cocktails, with the occasional summertime on-the-rocks pour. That's probably not what it was intended for, but I'm not its intended audience.

Availability - More current batches can be found, if you can catch 'em
Pricing - All over the place, because bourbon
Rating - 80

Old Pulteney 14 year old 2004, cask 128 for TWE

After ex-bourbon casks on Monday and Wednesday, I bring ye a review of a first-fill sherry cask to wrap up this Old Pulteney week. Its color dark and ABV high, cask 128 is certainly a contemporary thing, with lots of—

Wait, how about I do the notes first before all the words words words?

Distillery: Pulteney

Ownership: Inver House (via Thai Beverages plc via International Beverage Holdings Ltd.)

Region: Northern Highlands (Wick)

Age: 14 years (2004-2018)

Maturation: first-fill sherry butt

Cask #: 128

Outturn: 612 bottles

Exclusive to: The Whisky Exchange

Alcohol by Volume: 62.1%

(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose starts off with black raisins, milk chocolate, almond skins, and tar. With time, notes of butter, cinnamon raisin bread, and blueberry pie appear. It's quite the sweetie pie on the palate. Cinnamon raisin bread, brown sugar, dried blueberries, and mint leaves are all wrapped up in milk chocolate. It concludes with brown sugar syrup, sour citrus candy, and that cinnamon raisin bread.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 2 tsp of water per 30mL whisky

A different nose here: chili powder, cocoa powder, sultanas, and okonomiyaki sauce! The palate has shifted, as well, leaving behind much of the sweetness. Yes, there's plenty of milk chocolate, but there are more raw nuts, tart limes, toasty oak, and some savoriness. And the finish matches that palate.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Though this beast is certainly a crowd pleaser at full power, I like it better once it's reduced. At cask strength, it is very sugary and completely anonymous. It's yet another sherry monster that could be from nearly any distillery in Scotland. All butt. But at 46%abv, it shifts into something much more interesting, becoming more of a thinker than a drinker.

There's a note in the nose that had me stuck for a long time......it was something I'd smelled quite a bit of recently......but not around here......then one of the few remaining functioning neurons in my skull said, "Dude, okonomiyaki." That neuron has since taken a nap and will only wake up when I return to Japan, again, someday.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 85 (diluted only)

Old Pulteney 13 year old 2004, cask 244 for Warehouse Liquors

Despite the best efforts of The White Fedora, Old Pulteney never fully graduated into the big time. Yes, the 21 year old was popular for several years after its award, and the 17 year old was adored by some of us, but Young Pulteney's style isn't the sexiest thing, and the distillery hasn't issued very many dark sherried beasts, so it continues to keep its figurative head down, and not discard its long-time customer base, unlike many other distilleries and brands.

As mentioned in Monday's post, Old Pulteney released a number of single casks back in 2018-2020, most of which were from ex-bourbon vessels, and a few actually made it to The States, including today's Warehouse Liquors Chicago exclusive.

Distillery: Pulteney

Ownership: Inver House (via Thai Beverages plc via International Beverage Holdings Ltd.)

Region: Northern Highlands (Wick)

Age: 13 years (2004-2018)

Maturation: ex-bourbon cask

Cask #: 244

Outturn: 246

Exclusive to: Warehouse Liquors Chicago

Alcohol by Volume: 55.2%
(Thank you to Doctors Springbank for the sample!)

NEAT

The nose reads a bit tight. Some brine here, apples there, a hint of chlorine. It does gain character with time, adding vanilla, brown sugar, and citronella candles after 30 minutes. The palate offers bright sweet notes, like orange candy and Werther's Originals. But it also has some distinctly non-food angles, like burlap, old fabric, and perfume. It finishes sweet and perfumy as well, with a cherry candy note that lingers a bit.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Ah, a much better nose. Apricots and peaches meet brine and bark. But the palate......all I get is bitter citrus and Tide detergent. It finishes with Tide and lemon peel.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Actually, the whisky is fine when neat. It's not complex, and it's not too oaky. Not super, but certainly suitable for sipping. Yet some sort of saponification (Ed. note: Enough alliteration already!) takes place once the whisky is diluted. Doctors Springbank, did my sample go weird? Just to be safe, treat it like a Mogwai, and don't get it wet.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 81 (neat only, dilution drops it ~10 points)