Arran Private Cask for the House of Whisky
The collection of whiskies selected and bottled for the House of Whisky continues to grow. After collaborations with Bruichladdich and Glenlivet, among others, and even a renowned rum label, it was time for a single cask from the Lochranza distillery on the island of Arran.
The latest baby of the House of Whisky is Arran Private Cask 12yo, whisky aged in a single sherry hogshead cask, distilled in December 2009 and bottled in June 2022. The whisky went into the bottles in an absolutely natural form, with no cold filtering, no dilution and no caramel coloring. The contents of a single barrel were enough to fill 267 individually numbered bottles with the 56.9% vol liquor.
Depending on the perspective taken, the Lochranza distillery can be considered the youngest of the old, or the oldest of the young Scottish malt whisky makers. It was founded in 1993, and the first distillate flowed from its alembics in 1995. It was the first distillery in years to operate on an island once famous for its rum production, which had completely "dried up" in this regard in the early 20th century. As the distillery started before the Scottish whisky boom that continues to this day, the early years of its operation meant a rather breakneck struggle to survive financially on the one hand, while at the same time ensuring that it had a sufficient supply of maturing whisky to be able to bottle teenage and older whiskies in the future. As you know, a new whisky plant must find a way to finance its operations for at least the first three years from sources other than sales of the whisky produced. This one is languishing in oak barrels in warehouses at this time, waiting for the moment to show itself to the world as a full-fledged whisky.
The second decade of operation of the Arran distillery (for that is what it was called for the greater part of its existence before the name was changed to Lochranza) brought stability and a gradual increase in popularity and recognition among whisky lovers. In recent years, it has been an unbroken streak of success and conquering more and more new markets. Part of the latter is the Arran Single Malt 2009 cask just bottled for the House of Whisky.
The distillery's name was changed from Arran to Lochranza when the island's second Scotch malt whisky plant opened. Lagg, a distillery owned by the same company and located on the opposite end of the island of Arran, took over from its older sister to produce peated whisky with a definite smoky character. It was launched in 2019, and the first firing took place in March of the same year. The old distillery then took the name of the village in which it is located and the castle nearby.
The island of Arran, the outline of which appears on the labels of whisky produced at the Lochranza distillery, is one of the more popular tourist destinations in Scotland. Its great advantage is its proximity to Scotland's largest urban centers, mainly Glasgow. The island's popularity is also a result of its reputation among tourists. For it is said to represent Scotland in a nutshell. There you will find vast moors, high mountains, mountain valleys, sandy beaches, castles, and now also two whisky distilleries.
The latest whisky from Arran will be available through the House of Whisky Online tomorrow, October 5, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. We encourage you to visit and purchase our Arran Private Cask 12yo. For those for whom the virtue of patience poses an insurmountable challenge, we encourage you to read the following current offer of Arran whisky, available through us. And then to visit again, once the new whisky is in the official range.
[04.10.2022]