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KWM 2020 Whisky Calendar Day 12: Arran Barrel Reserve

Posted on December 8, 2023

by Evan

Day 12 and we are staying coastal, but heading from Campbeltown to the Isle of Arran for the Arran Barrel Reserve!

The Arran distillery is relatively young by Scottish standards.

That is one of the hack lines I spout when talking about Arran distillery to somebody that hasn't heard of them. I should probably retire that line sooner rather than later, as I have been saying it for more than a decade now. However, it still rings of at least some truth. Having started production in 1995 it is still relatively young when you take into account just about any other distillery we have tasted in the 2020 KWM Whisky Calendar thus far. Many of the distilleries responsible for these other mini bottles are older than Arran's distillery by a century or more.

I suppose that the distillery isn't entirely young anymore. The Isle of Arran Distillers just announced the first official 25-year-old bottling this past November. They are also old enough to undergo a somewhat confusing name change: We should start referring to the Arran Distillery by the name of Lochranza instead.


The Isle of Arran Distillery is located – unsurprisingly – on the Isle of Arran. The island lies just east of Campbeltown and well east of Islay and the distillery itself resides on the north of the island, in the village of Lochranza. There is that name again.


The Still Room at Arran's Lochranza Distillery

The reason for changing the name from reflecting the name of the island it resides on to the town that it resides in is this: The Lochranza distillery is no longer the only distillery on the Isle of Arran. On the south of the island sits the town of Lagg, which is where the distillery of the same name opened its doors in the summer of 2019. Like the Lochranza Distillery, Lagg is owned by the Isle of Arran Distillers.

The confusing part in this name change? For one, the range of Single Malts bottled by Lochranza still retains the name of Arran Single Malt Scotch Whisky in large letters on the label. You can usually find small print stating that it was "Distilled and Matured in Lochranza, Isle of Arran" on the label as well, but still...



Lochranza Castle on the Isle of Arran

The Isle of Arran is often talked about as being Scotland in miniature and I can understand why. It feels like you get nearly all possibly terrains and terrior on this one small island.

Last year, Andrew and I visited both the Lochranza and Lagg Distilleries. Where the Lochranza Distillery focuses mostly on making unpeated whisky (one exception being the Machrie Moor line of peated single malts), the Lagg Distillery is producing a heavily peated spirit.

Our trip to Arran was memorable for many reasons - first and foremost being that we literally missed the boat getting to the island.

After stopping at Glengoyne for a quick tour, we were headed to the ferry landing in hopes of catching the last boat of the day. Heavy rain made road conditions interesting, and I recall feeling like a passenger in a rally car as Andrew desperately hurtled us towards a destination that seemed impossible to make it to on time. As it turns out, it was impossible. We arrived just in time to watch the ferry depart and start its journey to the Isle of Arran.

Luckily for us, the CalMac Ferry operators were in the mood to demonstrate just how amazing and salt of the earth Scots are by turning the ferry back around to pick us up. They saved us from missing our meetup with Master Distiller James MacTaggart and Arran's Brand Ambassador Mariella Romano at the Lochranza Distillery that evening.

That was my first day in Scotland, and it was a day I will never forget.

Like those CalMac ferry operators - Arran Single Malt has always been solid – even in its youth. Their younger than 10-year-old whisky releases were (and still are) always approachable yet also very flavourful with the distillery profile typically showing notes of ginger, spices and creamy orchard fruits sometimes evolving into tropical territory.


The Arran/Lochranza range that we see currently includes a few different cask finishes (Port, Sauterne, Amarone), the Quarter Cask, The Bodega Sherry Cask, a 10-Year-Old, 18 and 21-year-old. Today we will be trying a younger, inexpensive offering called the Arran Barrel Reserve.

Will the no-age-statement Arran Barrel Reserve aged in ex-Bourbon Barrels uphold the typical Lochranza style and quality? Let's try it out and see for ourselves!

Arran Barrel Reserve - 43% ABV

Also available in 50ml Mini bottles

Evan's Tasting Note

Nose: Apple Jolly Rancher candies, pears, bananas, vanilla, ginger, whipped cream, and a touch of mint or eucalyptus.

Palate: Fresh and fruity with nutty and salty notes. Canned peaches in syrup, apple pie a la mode, pralines, candied ginger and salted caramel.

Finish: Fresh apples and light salinity on the fade along with ginger and mint.

Comment: Like every Arran release young or old this is well made and very drinkable.  If you want a slightly softer and creamier version of the Arran 10 Year Old, this is the bottle to get!

This was a refreshing palate cleanser for the more oily and peaty side of things we have had recently. What will the Calendar reveal for Day number thirteen? We will see tomorrow!

Cheers,
Evan
evan@kensingtonwinemarket.com
Twitter and Instagram: @sagelikefool

 

This entry was posted in Store, Whisky, Tastings, KWM Whisky Calendar 2020, Whisky Calendars

 

 

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