Arran 10 Year Old

Sounds like another one for the wishlist, then. Great review, JD. Keep 'm coming!

Yeah, I picked this one up as a recommendation from the gentleman working behind the counter in a whisky store in Melbourne when I wasn't sure what else to buy for my last bottle. He said, have you tried the Arran? I said no, and here we are.

Good man. This is how I like to discover my drams as well. Usually get them as a gift or pick them up on the spot. Last weekend, I visited the Whisky Exchange in London and brought back over 15 bottles, all on a whim.

15 bottles!! I am green with envy! Looking forward to all the reviews... :)

@markjedi1 - 15 bottles! That's a cabinet in it's own right. Good work.

@markjedi1, my birthday is coming up next month...just incase you want to gift one of those bottles ;)

Great review and, I think these are priced to sell too. Adding it to my wish list - great review!!

@yossiyitzak - Indeed, the pricing on the Arran was very decent.

Visited the distillery in Arran last Summer and picked myself up a couple of bottles of the 10yr old.

Following my return it was the only Whisky I drank for about 4 months! I love the stuff and can't wait to visit the distillery again this summer.

Must try this.

Yeah, it's definitely a fun one. Easy to drink, but with enough going on to keep you interested!

A pleasant one, anytime!

I poured myself another of these last night. The charm is still there!

I picked myself up a bottle about three weeks ago and I must say that I am impressed by the overall value of this single malt. Looking forward to trying other expressions from Arran.

@Ferrari5180 - it's definitely good value for money, and does speak well of the distillery.

There are so many expressions in the Arran range that I always felt like any choice could be the wrong choice. I just gave up on the brand, hoping one day I'd find an "Arran Sample Pack" of the various core expressions. Just the other day I found an expression from Arran that seemed like a sure winner - 11yr Sherry Single Cask bottled at cask strength! Oh yeah...

@jwise - the thing about the Arran line-up, you won't be disappointed by too many of them, so nearly every choice is a winner!

Hello, JD! I like your reviews, keep it up! I once was going to buy a bottle of Arran 10, but seller in shop said than Arran is very harsh and "particular" (in a bad sense of the word). Thanks to your review I've changed my mind. Going to try this malt. And price is very pleasant. Sorry for my english. Cheers!

@andrewMSK - glad you appreciate my thoughts! The Arran is pretty gentle - ti did have that slightly odd note initially on the nose, but I found it to be very easy to drink indeed.

...and you're english is fine. I work in a school, and trust me, you're english is brilliant!

Not a big fan. Lacked any complexity and therefore lacked my interest. Also, it always gave me a headache.

@rharlow - it is a bit of a subtle one. And if it disagrees with your body chemistry enough to give you a headache, it's certainly not for you. Plenty of other drams in the sea!

I smiled at that assessment-- "Arran, the no-thinking dram." Probably some truth to that! Thanks for the review, I have just sampled it and will compare it to their Original.

@vanPelt - that actually hits the nail on the head, but comes across a bit negatively, so I went with 'Genuinely Charming Dram' instead.. ;)

@vanPelt, you have succeeded in luring jd back to posting on Connosr. Good work!

@jdcook, what's cooking in Tasmania? I hear that they are making more and more whisky down there...I am guessing that you have been drinking some of it.

As for Arran 10, I would walk right by that one in favour of a bottle of Arran 14...or the Arran Sauternes Finish, or a GOOD BATCH of the Arran Amarone Finish.

@Victor - Tasmania is indeed going ahead in the production of whisky! Still a bit expensive with all the taxes imposed.

The 14 and the Sauternes are excellent indeed - haven't sampled any of the Amarone finish, but I keep coming back to the 10 year old, it's one of those handful of whiskies I'm happy to drink after a day of troubleshooting seemingly intractable problems where I do not want to engage my brain and do not really want to make a choice (and don't want to waste my good stuff on a crappy mood). Hasn't let me down yet.

I agree with both assessments: the 14 might seem overall better for intrigue or big flavor, but the 10 can better suit the occasion (or lack thereof). @Victor For what it's worth my last review was for Tasmania's Sullivan Cove French Oak, which is excellent. I'm jealous if this is what flows through the streets down under.

@vanPelt - The French Oak is quite good, the double cask is better! The first time I had it I had gone to a tasting and accidentally chosen a seat next to the chief distiller of Sullivans Cove. My review is below:

connosr.com/reviews/sullivans-cove/…

Let me continue the thread over there then...