The story of Arran whisky is an interesting one if you ever get a chance to visit the distillery. They’re the only scotch producers on the island, which is very small but full of character and a great place for a long weekend. That being said, the small island produces big character whiskies. This Sherry Cask single malt is a perfect example. It’s also a great showcase of where older whiskies don’t necessarily mean better. It’s a young(ish) 7 year old scotch that has matured in first-fill Sherry Hogshead casks. It’s cask strength (meaning it’s not diluted to bring it down to 40%) so it’s strong. But even at cask strength (55.8%) it has bags of flavour, some stronger scotches have flavour killed by the strength.
When you pop the cork, it’s clearly sherried but it has a sweet shop aroma to it but is somehow not over-sherried. When you taste it, it’s got a bold toffee flavour with a little bit of spice. It’s refreshing to have a change from American bourbon cask matured scotches that leave an oaky/vanillery flavour with you. The finish does not linger as long as other scotches and is quite subtle (still sweet).
This is a really different choice out there and has lots of character. If you’re looking for alternatives to have in the whisky cabinet, then this is a fantastic option. The bottle and branding as well is also differentiated to other distilleries. It’s clean and simple but still looks like a quality product, which it certainly is.