Arran Finished in Cognac Cask (B.2003) / 58.2% / 0.7l

In the first decade of the new century, Arran Distillery embarked on a mission to age its whisky in casks from almost every spirit in the world.

Cognac barrels are not often used to mature whisky, but that didn’t discourage the owners. After a basic maturation period in a sherry barrel, the whisky presented here was placed in a fresh cognac barrel for the final months. Bottled on 16 October at cask strength (58.2% abv) in an edition of 488 bottles. Arran is one of a handful of Scottish distilleries that remain in private hands. Harold Currie began construction in 1993, and the first distillate flowed from the stills two years later. The expansion, completed in 2016, increased the plant’s capacity to 1.2 million litres per year.

Nose : malted barley, apples, grapes, prunes, rum-soaked raisins, raspberries, milkshake, cocoa powder, cinnamon and oak.

Palate:  dried apricots and plums, raisins, toffee-coated apples, vanilla marshmallow, cinnamon, cloves, a pinch of pepper and oak.

Finish : medium long, with notes of chocolate raisins, vanilla, toffee, cinnamon and a touch of oak.