Arran isn’t a whisky I have a lot of experience with. I really enjoyed the 10yr old but ended up giving it away to one of my friends who really enjoyed it after an evening of sampling whiskies. I was surprised at just how much more you get out of the 14yr old vs the 10yr. Both are very good but this 14 is really nice.
Smelling this is great – Fruit, Almonds, Grass, Honey, Vanilla, and Barley Sugar.
The Taste is vanilla, toffee, caramel apple, some sherried flavors (raisins, figs, spice, clove). With water the spice and clove really come out and the vanilla fades a bit. Very enjoyable neat or with water.
The Finish is medium with green apples, spice, clove and cinnamon.
This isn’t a cheap whisky. It checks in at around $70. I think I was lucky enough to grab it at $60 which is probably where it should be priced. At $70 it’s a bit overpriced in my opinion but the whisky is really good.
Overall Grade: B