Arran Smugglers' Series Vol. 1 - The Illicit Stills
Arran Smugglers' Series Vol. 1 - The Illicit Stills, NAS, 56,4 %
On September 28, 2015, the Isle of Arran Distillers (I'll just call it the Arran Distillery), released the first in a series of three limited editions; the Arran Smugglers' Series Vol. 1 - The Illicit Stills.
Here are the key facts, as presented on their website:
- The Smugglers Series pays homage to the rich history of illicit distillation on the Isle of Arran in the 18th and 19th centuries.
- Limited Edition of 8,700 Bottles Worldwide
- Bottled at Natural Cask Strength 56.4% abv.
- Unique release including our classic un-peated Arran Malt in combination with Arran produced from medium & heavily-peated malt.
- Includes some of our heavily peated Arran Malt at 50 ppm and Arran Malt fully matured in Port Pipes.
- Non Chill Filtered & No artificial colouring.
A few bottles of this whisky made their way to Norway and sold at NOK 1199 (3620401), but they are now all sold out.
Nose (22/25): Soft and rich nose. The peat is clearly present, but not overwhelming - it comes across as medium to low peat. Vanilla, nuts, sweet licorice, . Hints of soft fruitiness in the background, not nearly as pronounced as I am used to from Arran. A bit hard to find other distinct aromas here, which might hint at it not being very old.
Taste (21/25): Super soft and slightly oily mouthfeel. Spicy attack - white pepper and ginger. More fruits now, and they have been grilled over an open fire on the beach. There's quite a bit of smoke coming off the fire as well. It is bordering on rough and raw, but stays on the right side of the border.
Finish (21/25): The pepper and ginger are joined by aniseed, dark caramel, and slightly burnt apples (yeah, left them t0o long on the fire).
Balance (22/25): A fun and punchy Arran. It felt more peaty than I had anticipated.
Score (86/100)
Image from Master of Malt.
Sláinte! - Thomas
