Arran Machrie Moor First Edition (Peated)

First vapor: Cherry & soft salty smoke.

Nose: Soft and sweet peat of smoking olive oil or butter. Lemon curd and a soft vanilla-cherry; a bit of grassiness shows its age.

Palate: Grass/lemon and sea salt entrance; the zest & grass lasting for a while. As it dilutes, it eventually smoothens and sweetens to vanilla and candied green-apple. Peaks sharply with these, and then fades with salty sweet orange.

Finish: Soft coffee in the throat, lemon & sweet malt on the tongue, salty grass at back.

Of the 7 Arrans I have had, this is certainly most similar to their (other) youngest expression, the "Original". The difference is primarily the light peat, which mostly affects the nose. It is a soft and "dusty" kind of peat: like the smell of an old library/attic/antique store filled with wooden items. (Certainly not an ash/rubber kind of peat. Maybe pencil eraser.) The peat also adds that coffee in the finish; but it seems to have intensified the palate's grass and sour notes, probably due to the presence of more salt (or higher ABV). I appreciate the peat's effect in the nose and finish, but I miss the smoother, more balanced palate of the Original. This is where the Machrie Moor loses points. Incidentally, I find it much improved when warmer than usual drinking temperatures.

Aside from the Arran Original, the Machrie Moor bears most resemblance to Isle of Jura's Superstition. I marginally prefer the Machrie Moor because it does not display certain bitter (white peppery) notes.

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