Tasting note

The buzzing black peppers leave you in no doubt what is to follow. As does the stunning clarity of the grape and crisp, business-like manner of the barley: stirring! and so it is played out on the palate: the grape is juicy and sweet, the barley is firm and forms the perfect skeleton, the spices pop busily around the palate. No great age evident, but the oak also chimes in with a few choice cocoa notes; a shard of bitterness, but nothing which subtracts from the gloss; as cask finishes go, this one is just about perfect. Score - 94.5. (Jim Murray, Whisky Bible, 2014)

Burnished Copper in colour. Poached pears and honey followed by toasted almonds and a subtle touch of cranberry. With water a coffee note appears together with chocolate orange and mellow butterscotch. Dark chocolate, cherry and Turkish delights are evident as are stewed fruits and toffee. Muscular notes of dark plum wrestle with bitter-sweet apricots and a hint of cinnamon. A well-balanced combination of the finesse of The Arran Malt and the restrained fruit and oak from the Amarone casks.