Whiskey "Arran": description, composition, history, aftertaste and reviews

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Many brands of whiskey, in addition to excellent gastronomic qualities, can boast a long history dating back centuries. But the hero of our story has a completely different “trick”. Whiskey "Arran" (Arran) - the youngest brand in Scotland. Nevertheless, he has already managed to win the hearts of connoisseurs of distillates. How? Let's try to figure it out.

Brand Story

The Isle of Arran Distillery was only founded in 1995. The manager of Chivas Regal, Harold Curry, having gained experience at the place of work, decided to go freelance and establish his own business. He chose a place for the distillery on the southernmost archipelago of Scotland, on the Isle of Arran, not far from the ancient castle of Lochranza. An experienced specialist turned out to be a dock in marketing. The distillery is the only one on Arran, so the manufacturer was able to assign the name of the island to his drink. The neighborhood of the proud feudal nest of Lochranza gave aristocratic respectabilitynew venture.

But you can't get by on marketing alone. Harold Curry applied all his experience to make Arran whiskey one of the best in Scotland. The first bottle of the drink was sold in 2001. The new drink did not make a splash, but it got its fans. And the success of whiskey contributed to the geographical advantages of the location of the distillery, as well as the innovative production process that uses Harold Curry. Let's get acquainted with them in more detail.

Isle of Arran

The distillery is located in a beautiful valley, protected from gusty winds by hills. It should be said that the southernmost island of Arran (off the west coast of Scotland) has a unique microclimate. Unlike other regions of this harsh region, there are almost no winds here. This is why whiskey from the Isle of Arran matures faster.

To the warehouses, where about four thousand barrels of drink are waiting in the wings, the warm gusts of the Gulf Stream fly. The s alty breeze from the Firth of Clyde adds freshness to the drink. Another important factor is pure spring water. After all, every whiskey consists of more than half of it.

Right in the territory of the distillery beats the source of Izon Bierach. Water from it, before reaching the surface of the earth, passes through layers of granite, sand, clay and peat deposits. In this way, it is naturally refined, giving the whiskey a smooth taste and crystal clear.

Technological process

Two varieties of barley are used in production - "oxbridge" and "optic". Harold Curry, as an experienced winemaker, decided to extract all the mostthe best of the traditional Scottish whiskey production method, adding innovative, if not revolutionary, techniques to the process. First, he changed the scotch formula. Barley m alt Curry decided not to smoke in peat smoke, which is why Arran Scotch whiskey, in its softness and slight sweetness, is a bit like an Irish drink. But the distiller replaced the usual modern stainless steel vats with old ones made of pine.

The master made the stills very small, similar to those used in Macallan. Thanks to them, very pure alcohols are obtained in three hours. Harold Curry abandoned cold filtration. For his whiskey, he orders old American bourbon and Spanish sherry casks. The drink "breathes" through the pores of the wood, so it loses two percent of the strength every year. When the "angels' share" evaporates and the whiskey reaches 46 degrees, it is bottled. The distillery does not use dyes. The amber color of the drink acquires solely from contact with the wood of the barrels.

Awards

Harold Curry has to skillfully maneuver to produce an exceptional drink, while at the same time meeting the rigorous requirements of the Scottish Whiskey Producers Association. So, he had to abandon the use of Norman Calvados barrels. But Curry's efforts were not in vain. During the years of its short existence, his company was awarded many medals. In 2007, she was awarded the title of "Scotland's Distillery of the Year" by an authoritative publishing house. Whiskey Magazine.

A separate brand of the distillery - Arran 10 Y. O. - received 93 points out of a hundred possible in the Whiskey Bible by the guru of this drink, Jim Murray. In 2011, Arran whiskey became the drink of the year for the second time, according to world experts. The fact that this adhesive tape is exceptional is evidenced by its price. After all, the Isle of Arran Distillery itself is considered boutique. It buys raw materials, has no branches outside the island, owns only two warehouses and produces only 500,000 liters of whiskey a year.

Review of brands. The Arran M alt 10 Y. O

Despite its modest size, the distillery is famous for its amazing variety of whiskey brands. Arran M alt 10 Years (bottled in 2008) is characterized by the golden color of ripe barley. The strength of this tape is 46 degrees, but they are not felt due to the soft and surprisingly delicate taste. It has hints of spices, fruits and cinnamon. The drink has a good velvety texture.

Tropical fruits (kiwi, banana, papaya and pineapple), pepper, citrus, vanilla, spices, melon and dark chocolate are felt in the bouquet. The long aftertaste of scotch is sweet, enveloping and full-bodied, with fading accords of spices and fruits. Scotch is not subjected to cold filtration, which has a good effect on its characteristics. This m alt is aged 60% in sherry casks and 40% in bourbon casks. This brand is the easiest to buy in Russia.

14 Year Old Scotch

Just four extra yearscarried out in barrels, and the taste of the drink completely changes. The sweetness goes away, and some s altiness and pickiness appears, which connoisseurs of Scotch single m alt whiskeys love so much. Arran M alt 14 Y. O. characterized by a strength of 46% and a golden color. The taste of the drink is full-bodied, rich, with creamy honey, caramel and s alty notes, in which there are nuances of baked apples, hazelnuts, chocolate and oranges.

The aroma of scotch tape is bright, rich, rich. It reads shades of coconut, toffee, vanilla, and all this with a scent of dried fruit. The finish is very long, slightly s alty, with an admixture of cinnamon. The drink is infused for two years in sherry casks, and then matures in old bourbon containers. It is very difficult to get this brand of adhesive tape in Russia. Fourteen year old whiskey is packaged in a metal gift tube.

Eight Year Old Whiskey

Arran The Sauternes Cask Finish 8 Y. O. the fortress is smaller than its older brothers - only 50 degrees. This drink has a pleasant golden-amber color. On the palate, this whiskey is s alty-sweet, full-bodied, rich. It is dominated by shades of flowers, honey, banana and hazelnuts. Balanced aroma complements the pleasant taste.

The bouquet has hints of citrus, marzipan, melon, honeysuckle and butter. In reviews of whiskey Arran The Sauternes Cask Finish 8 Y. O. users claim that the aroma of scotch also contains notes of mandarin, marzipan, and melon. The aftertaste of this brand is long, with a feeling of tart zest andbutter. Most of the time the whiskey matures in ex-bourbon and sherry casks, and for another nine months it matures in a Sauternes container. This method adds nuance to the rich bouquet of the drink.

Arran Original 43

The numbers in the name of this brand of whiskey indicate the degree of strength. As you can see, scotch tape can be a gift for a lady. In the taste of the drink, the piquant sharpness of red pepper is ideally combined with the sweetness of creme brulee. Fresh notes of apple are also noticeable. To match the taste and bouquet - delicate, delicate, multifaceted. It is dominated by fruity intonations, where the dominant is peach. If water is added to Arran Original 43 whiskey, then the aromas of chocolate, orange and mint will appear in the bouquet.

The color of this brand of adhesive tape is also very delicate, lighter, golden, with playful sparkles. What explains the originality of this "Arran"? The creator gave him only 6 years to mature. A small strength of the drink allows you to concentrate on savoring the fruity taste and enjoying a rich multifaceted bouquet. The 700 ml bottle is sold in a gift tube, which depicts strangely shaped mysterious boulders. These stones, which were the object of worship in the pre-Christian era, can still be found on the Isle of Arran.

Arran Lochranza Reserve Whiskey

This distillery, having a dilemma - taste or strength - chooses the first indicator. In this brand of scotch, the degree also does not go off scale - only 43% alcohol. A leading specialist worked on the creation of the Arran Lochranza Reserve formulaDistillery James McTaggart. With his creation, he proved that light scotch is not inferior to Irish whiskey.

The drink is named after the ancient feudal castle of Lochranza, which stands not far from the distillery. The color of this single m alt whiskey is light golden, pleasant. The taste is light, delicate, one might say, ladies'. But, unlike the previous brand "Original 43", Lochranza Reserve has no sweetness. On the contrary, the s alty notes of the sea breeze show through here, which are perfectly combined with hints of berries, apple and orange marmalade. The bouquet of the drink is rich, multifaceted, with hints of milk chocolate, lemon peel, green apples and flowers. The finish is long, with notes of creamy toffee.

Cost

As mentioned above, the distillery is considered boutique. Its annual production volumes do not exceed 500 thousand liters. This is the main reason for the high prices of Arran whiskey. Arran is exported to Western Europe and Japan.

It is quite difficult to find products of this brand in Russia. In boutiques, there are mainly Lochranza Reserve brands (3220 rubles per bottle in a metal tube), ten- (3434 rubles), twelve- (5415 rubles) and fourteen-year-old whiskey (4787 rubles), as well as experimental releases: Amarone Cask (4396 rubles), Mahri Moore (5091 rubles), Sotern Cask (5409 rubles), Port Cask Finish, Boti Quarter Cask, Sherry Cask. Sometimes you can find limited editions like Arran 2006 Gordon & MacPhail.

Reviews

Despite the verynot democratic value, the products of the Arran distillery are very popular. Users highly appreciate the taste and bouquet of Arran Scotch whiskey. In the reviews, they claim that, like traditional scotch, the drink smells of peaty haze. And this is truly strange, because the m alt is dried with hot air - this is the signature style of the Arran distillery.

Users also like that the manufacturer does not use cold filtration, allowing drinks to retain a rich, multi-faceted flavor. The distillery does not correct the color of whiskey with artificial dyes. Maybe the shade of the drinks may seem too light, but this is a guarantee of the natural absorption of the enzyme from the wood of the barrels. Users are surprised by the variety of whiskey brands with small production volumes. Masters are creative in creating each of their drinks.