28/06/2025 The Arran Malt Festival (Day 2 -- Part 2): The Select Exclusives: Single Cask Edition

JS and I join a group of others in a warehouse for this tasting led by Billy Patton who has been at the distillery for many years as a tour guide.

The man, protected by a double barrel fence

Dram #1

Nose: black bun (JS). Indeed, this has all sorts of dried fruits to introduce fried eggs served with seared berries.
Mouth: huge, it has dried grapefruit and blush-orange peels.
Finish: oh! wow. Macerated prunes, jellied figs... This is fruity and never-ending. Perhaps not overly complex (or we do not have enough time to fully grasp that complexity), but it does everything in harmony.
Comment: how to win your audience? Start with the oldest whisky in the house. In this case, it is a belter to boot.

Arran 28yo 1995/2024 (49.3%, OB Single Cask for Lochranza Distillery, ex-Sherry Hogshead, C#1995/396, 285b, b#065) 9/10

Dram #2

Comment: one sniff and JS recognises this as the first dram we had at the previous tasting. Sure enough, it is the same Bourbon cask for the distillery's shop. What an infuriating lack of co-ordination!

Arran 13yo 2011/2024 (57.3%, OB Private Cask for Lochranza Distillery, ex-Bourbon Barrel, C#2011/567, 225b, b#057)

Dram #3

Nose: crumbled Madeira biscuits followed by smoked strawberries. Suede, white Port (or am I dreaming that up?), and brambles come out as one tilts the glass.
Mouth: wow! This is fiery-and-a-half. Squashed raspberries and blueberries. Chewing releases chalk, sherbet, and fruit-scented chalk gratings. The second sip is more wine-y and chalkier, which makes it less pleasant for this taster. Limestone lathered with jam.
Finish: it is very fruity, almost too fruity, borderline vulgar. This certainly walks a tightrope. It becomes a little tannic at second gulp.
Comment: divisive, as can be expected. Some love it, others are less taken. It is objectively decent, but not really my thing.

Arran 11yo 2012/2024 (56.5%, OB Private Cask, 6.5y in ex-Bourbon Cask + 3.5y Shiraz Cask Finish, C#19-VA-1053, 419b, b#021) 7/10

Dram #4

Nose: red wine, plain and simple. A bit of breathing gives mushroom earth (the bits of earth that stick to the foot of a mushroom), and smashed blackberries. Maybe we detect cigar leaves and chocolate spread at second nosing.
Mouth: this is another story, in terms of appeal! It feels much more balanced and inviting than the nose, with myrtles, blackberries, brambles and blackberry-soaked cigar leaves. Further notes are similar to what we found on the nose, but it somehow works a lot better as a whole. It turns drying at second sip before piling up jam and marmalade.
Finish: long, berry-laden, it presents a certain bitterness (mixed peel) and loads of fruits.
Comment: convincing.

The Arran Malt 16yo 2001/2017 (48.8%, OB Private Cask Selection Specially Selected for Bodegas Tradicion, Palo Cortado Cask Finish, C#2001/687, 375b, b#16) 8/10

Billy calls on Paul, whose last name I do not write down, to introduce the next dram. Paul is the man who selected the cask. Billy thought that most of us would enjoy an opportunity to try this year's single cask bottling for the festival, since it is not available at the bar.

Paul: "It was hard to choose the right cask, because some people like Bourbon casks, while others prefer Sherry casks... And some people like whisky, don't they."

Dram #5

Nose: mint lozenges, vanilla, maybe some botanicals, then the rum takes off and we sniff dried pineapple. The second nose has custard.
Mouth: it is super-fruity, here, with grapefruit and pineapple. Phwoar! As so many Rum-cask-matured whiskies, it is a tad mineral, drying and rocky, quarry chippings mingle with Demerara sugar. The second sip has this amazing blend of citrus, pineapple and berries.
Finish: similarly-fruity notes -- banana, pineapple, grapefruit. The second gulp seems punchier and adds roasted papaya and pineapple.
Comment: lovely.

Arran 12yo 2012/2025 Thirtieth Anniversary (54.5%, OB The Festival Single Cask, ex-First Fill Rum Cask, C#18-RUM-1008, 240b) 8/10

Billy introduces his second guest: Campbell Laing, Arran's first tour guide, who was his mentor. I remember Campbell from our first visit, in 2008. I stole a few lines from his routine, while other aspects impressed me less: at the end, he poured a nip of whisky for the boys, and Arran Gold for the girls, boldly assuming that is what they would prefer. Ha! Ha!

Campbell [to punter]: "Where in East Asia are you from?"
Punter: "East Ayrshire."

Good tasting, all in all. It covered a wide range of flavours, and it felt authentic, with genuine anecdotes. The atmosphere in a warehouse is always a positive contribution too, tOMoH finds.

Campbell, Billy, Paul