26/05/2018 Arran tutored tasting

Hot chocolate with Arran Gold

Venison burger

JS, Bishlouk, CL and I took the tour an hour ago (we had food prior). It was a very disappointing experience. A big group, a guide who gave lots of information in what I felt was a very sloppy way, who managed to have a go at Bishlouk and me for venturing five metres away from the group (to take pictures before people would stand in the way), and who, generally speaking, put the spotlight on confusing details: she never mentioned how the barley was ground into grist, yet spent some time trying to remember whether the water discharge into the sea is a twenty-metre pipe, or a forty-metre pipe. Maybe accurate, certainly irrelevant.

The tutored tasting that follows is with the same guide, which we are not very happy about. We all wonder if she has been on the sauce since the morning. We try to make the best of a touchy situation.

Since Bishlouk and I were here last year, we know the formula: four groups of three bottlings each, and we can choose one from each group.

The Arran Malt 18yo (46%, OB, b.2016, 3 16 46 BB): nose: chocolate mousse and cake-y biscuit, orange rinds. Mouth: PiM's cakes, orange rinds, dark chocolate. In the back, I spot a drop of pine sap. Finish: long, warming, it has chocolate shavings, pressed orange segments -- lots of it, actually. Nice. This is very good, as good as in January, likely the best in the current official range. 8/10

The Arran Malt (50%, OB, Amarone Cask Finish, b.2018, 3 09:12 BB): nose: strawberry and whisky-infused jam. It is nice, yet I can feel it becoming tiresome quite quickly. Cloves and cinammon sticks. Mouth: grape juice in texture, velvety and a little tannic. Finish: Fragolino (Italian strawberry wine). The wine influence is huge, drying and tannic. Decent. 6/10

The Peated Arran Malt Machrie Moor (58.1%, OB, B#4, b.2017): nose: burnt hay, manure, straw left in the sun for a day, shoe polish and a touch of smoke. Mouth: big, smoky, kippery, with heat, gingery heat, to be accurate, and soft bandages. Finish: smoked oysters, mussels, kippers; this is surprisingly coastal and bold, yet soft at the same time, with a drop of honey. 7/10

The Arran Malt 10yo 2007/2017 James MacTaggart (54.2%, OB Master of Distilling, First Fill Bourbon Barrels, 12000b): nose: ginger, sawdust and caramelised custard. Mouth: soft, creamy, though sawdust rears its head. It is mildly drying, but mostly accessible. Finish: vanilla, coconut yoghurt and some spices. 7/10

Bishlouk lets me try the following.

The Arran Malt 16yo 2001/2018 (54.9%, OB Single Cask Distillery Exclusive, Bourbon Cask, C#752, 190b, b#112): nose: very woody, with sawdust and wood glue. Crème brûlée, too. Mouth: drying, woody, with verdigris and lemongrass. Finish: disappointing, until a gentle slap of tropical fruit hits you by surprise. 7/10

The Arran Malt 18yo 1999/2018 (53.7%, OB Single Cask Distillery Exclusive, Sherry Cask, C#144, 262b, b#135): nose: rather nutty, this one, with a lick of berry jam. Mouth: lingonberry, dark fruits, decaying. It is very chewy. Finish: dark cherries and other dark fruits and fruit jellies. Nice. 7/10

The tour experience depends on which guide does the tour. The previous two times, I had lots of fun. This time, less so. As for the tasting, the formula does not change, but the bottlings do. The wine casks (Amarone, Port, Sauternes) are the same as last year. The exclusive, of course, change, as do some others. It goes without saying that doing this every week would quickly become monotonous, yet with twelve drams to choose from, there should be enough entertainment to keep the casual taster or chance visitor interested.