We often get asked prior to gatherings ‘what should we bring’ and the short answer is almost always ‘something new’. This becomes a problem (despite a website to check said things) so we’re often given a list, of which Arran was chosen this time. Arran is not bad as a whisky, but it’s not a great scotch, not great value, and it lies to you.
Once again making our views above the fold quite plain there’s little to explain. This is an island style scotch that has striking similarities to hot-bourbon’s and yet still sea salt. The fault is more everything around it, because a 10 year at this price, is simply not worth the trouble.
What they Say: “The Arran 10 Year Old is a fresh and vibrant expression of the Arrant Malt with all the hallmarks of their classic Island style. Vanilla and citrus notes dominate to create a smooth and mellow dram. They are the only distillery on the Isle of Arran and a proudly independent Scottish company. ”
Taste: 6.0 – There is some initial sweet and citrus mixed with a peaty scotch; however.
Aftertaste: 7.5 – That gets into the heat and smoke really quickly, and it’s like an overbearing fire. This isn’t so much ‘burnt or smouldering’ and more like a good ol’ bourbon.
Burn/Smooth: 5.0 – You feel the ‘burn’ of this less as a sharp pain but more like a knife slowly sliding into you. The ‘burn’ isn’t as harsh, but it goes on for a long while almost like a warming effect, but harsher. It unique enough to not warrant reproach, but pleasant and smooth it is not.
Aroma: 6.0 – There’s a bit of that sea salt and citrus smell to it, but the rest of the scotch is still there. It smells a bit ‘hot’ as if it were overproof, but is overall pleasant.
Honesty: 6.5 – There are 2 main issues here. The first is calling this a smooth and mellow dram – it’s not. That’s not an issue, but lying about it is. The second is that while they are an “independent Scottish company” the private shareholders makes that less authentic compared to something more in-family, or a company vision. It is quite sad though to knock off points for what should have been a high-value honesty.
Mixability: 7.5
W/ Rocks: 7.5 – So there’s the smooth and mellow they were talking about. This feels like a wholly different whiskey except for that bit at the end that gets stuck in your nose as you drink it. Overall it’s well received.
Value: 4.0 – That is not crazy. It is more than you would like to pay for this though, and at a ’10 year,’ it’s also more than it should be.
Google Shop Average: $47
Website: https://www.arranwhisky.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 6.5
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Metric Score: 42.5/70 |+| Metric Average: 6.07 |+| Reviewer Average: 6.5
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Final Thoughts: If there is a nice hallmark takeaway here it’s ‘don’t give up on trying something new’. Thinking back to what we thought was good, or worth getting 5 years ago is a horror story. You should always be trying something new, even if there is a website out there dedicated to giving you an honest account of something. So maybe you’ll like this, but it’s doubtful.
