Arran 18 Year Old

...a distillery that didn't open until you were of legal drinking age is now producing a whisky that is itself of legal drinking age, (at least in the UK that is).

So Arran distillery, which opened in 1995 has now released an 18 Year Old malt. I have followed this distillery over the last few years, taking in its 10YO, 14YO and more recently the rather obscure Amarone finish. Now I'm reviewing my first ever sample of the distillery reaching maturity.

Nose: Wow - intense toffee, treacle, caramel and even coffee. Becomes creamier. A slightly floral woody-oak undertone. But despite this it is still very soft and mellow. Just a hint of citrus, (and I remember citrus being quite prominent in its younger incarnations) and even tiny tiny whiff of fennel and aniseed. I could breathe this in all day - very complex.

Palate - Starts off slightly astringent but quickly calms down to soft creamy caramel notes. Beeswax with oakiness. Toffee persists. Hint of a citrus tang. Coffee notes still there - yep the palate continues as the excellent nose suggest. It has a soft, silky, melt-in-your-mouth feel. This is absolutely delicious.

Finish - Long and very slightly dry. But with immense coffee and caramel flavours lingering for some time.

Of course this is non-chill filtered and colouring free as any self-respecting distillery does nowadays. Quite evident from how pale the colour is for an 18YO. This is a really wonderful malt and the distillery deserves high praise.

Find where to buy Arran whisky