With the introduction out of the way (posted yesterday), I can get directly to the whiskys.
Here they are:
The one on the left is the Arran Port Cask Finish. The sample was provided to me by Jordan of Chemistry of the Cocktail via a recent sample swap. Thank you, sir.
The one on the right is the Arran Sauternes Cask Finish. The sample was provided to me by Linh Do, writer of Bliss in a Barrel and fellow SoCal whisky carouser. Thank you, ma'am. Also, full disclosure: Linh has done some work for Arran in the past. My sample was part of a swap and there were no requests for a review. I am reviewing it here because it was nice/fun/constructive to compare it with another one of Arran's finishes.
Arran Port Cask Finish
Distillery: Isle of Arran Distillery
Type: Single Malt
Ownership: Isle of Arran Distillers Ltd.
Age: around 8 years before the varied secondary maturation
Maturation: maturation #1: ex-bourbon barrels; maturation #2: former port casks
Region: Isle of Arran, Scotland
Alcohol by Volume: 50%
Bottled: October 2010
Chillfiltered? No.
Colored? No.
NEAT
As per the pic at the top, this one has the darker color of the two, with a little purple or red apple skins mixed in with the malty gold. I find toasty, slightly nutty malt in the nose up front. Then grape juice and blackberry syrup sneaks up next. Some Chambord, ripe plums, and orange pixie stix. Then there's some toffee and a hint of apple juice. Behind all of this is a bit of an alcohol nip from the young spirit. The palate is not port heavy (which is a good thing for my palate). More grape skins than juice here. Rich caramel. Brown sugar syrup. Seawater, milk chocolate, and a moderate sweet level. It can be a little hot. It finishes with the caramel; I actually wrote "caramel" twice in my notes, so I guess there was a lot of it. Hints of the salty seawater, toffee, and milk chocolate. A sweet orange candy note. And plenty of spirity bite.
WITH A COUPLE DROPS OF WATER
The port reveals itself more in the nose with the water added. Some berries. Now there's some blueberry syrup mixed in with the blackberry. Orange peel. "Tiny grapes", not sure what I meant, but there it is. The malt is still quite present though, swimming amongst the port notes. More port in the palate too, reading as sour berries. There's a nice bitterness too. And again, the malt hangs on. The finish brightens up. Milk chocolate, salted caramels, sweet grapes, and sour grapes.
Without a doubt this feels young due to all of that alcohol heat. As Jordan mentioned in his review, it doesn't take much water to calm the whisky down. But I'd love to see what it would be like with a couple more years in bourbon barrels. It's already better integrated than Glenmorangie's Quinta Ruban, but at 10-12 years old this Arran Port Finish could be mighty. And I like that it's bottled at 50% ABV which allows the consumer to tinker with it as he or she pleases.
Availability - Some liquor specialty retailers
Pricing - $70-$80
Rating - 84
Arran Sauternes Cask Finish
Distillery: Isle of Arran Distillery
Type: Single Malt
Ownership: Isle of Arran Distillers Ltd.
Age: around 8 years before the varied secondary maturation
Maturation: maturation #1: ex-bourbon barrels; maturation #2: former port casks
Region: Isle of Arran, Scotland
Alcohol by Volume: 50%
Chillfiltered? No.
Colored? No.
NEAT
Its color is a dark gold. The nose is full of very rich toffees and caramels. Honey on baked peaches, roasted almonds, creme brûlée, and the current corn syrup version of Frosted Flakes. It actually reminds me of a wheated bourbon. It smells like it's going to be a sweetie. Indeed, the palate is sweeter than that of the Port finish. Honey and caramel mostly, along with some dark berries. The heat is present but less so than in the Port. The berry note in the palate turns into jam in the finish, like boysenberry and grape jams (yeah, perhaps a little unusual for Sauternes). The sticky sweet fermented grapes and honey that follow are more Sauternes-like. Again, the heat.
WITH A FEW DROPS OF WATER
The nose is slightly plummy, but mostly it's fresh peaches and apricots. It's lightly floral, maybe a flowery honey. Perhaps a little sulfur too, but quietly, like a mild seasoning. The palate is almost all caramel sauce on vanilla ice cream. Now it reminds me of a hypersweet Speysider. Sweetness continues on into the finish with moments of sour and salt.
Like the all the other Sauternes-finished whiskys I've tried, this is a dessert malt. While Glenmorangie's Nectar D'Or could be considered "richer", the Arran Sauternes Finish is actually less syrupy and less winey. As a result, it actually feels better arranged and more casual. But it's still quite sweet. Like with the Port Cask Finish, the alcohol bite reveals this whisky's youth so a little more age probably wouldn't hurt it (especially at its price). I'm not the biggest Sauternes finish fan, but I would definitely drink this one again, along with a dessert in the summer.
Availability - Some liquor specialty retailers
Pricing - $70-$80
Rating - 82