Review 222. Lord of the Isles, part 2: Arran vs Orkney

(Why 'The Islands' make for a lousy scotch whisky region)

Whereas last week, I took a look at 2 distilleries from the Hebdrides, this week, it’ll be something completely different. And then again it won’t. I’m still nosing and tasting 2 island whiskies is some sort of head to head, but while it does allow for a bit of a comparison, it’s definitely not meant as a competition by any means. You might recall I did a series on regions (are regions really rubbish?) 2 years ago already, trying to see how, despite their (in my opinion) diminishing importance, there could still be something of a quintessential whisky from each region. Definitely ‘up for discussion’ pretty much any way you chose to look at it, but I gave it a shot, and still feel as if I did, to some extent, manage to pick whiskies that could be deemed representative of their respective regions.

The Scottish Isles, however, might turn out to be a bit of a mission impossible if you’re looking to pinpoint what makes a ‘classic’ island whisky. Sure, it could/should be something with a distinctive ‘coastal’ note, offering some salinity and mineral notes, but how do you take it from there? Filing the island distilleries under the Highland region, makes absolutely zero sense, seeing how they are distributed and spread out geographically. Nor does it make much sense to just all line them up and put them in a category in their own right. If you only look at today’s 2 whiskies, it becomes blatantly clear what the issue is, as travelling  from Arran to Orkney would make for a 9.5 hour, 325 miles (523 km) drive by car. While it would make sense to compare one distillery from the Hebrides to another, comparing Arran to Orkney really doesn’t. If not for the distance, then surely because of other factors – the tundra -like Orkney  isles being very much ‘exposed’ to the Atlantic Ocean, while the mountainous and wooded Arran enjoys some sort of micro-climate  in the Fyrth of Clyde  and is  all but enclosed, almost finding itself in a bay, between the Kintyre Peninsula and mainland Scotland. It’s comparing apples to oranges in my honest opinion.  Yet, here I am, doing it nonetheless. Because as far apart and as different in terms of locality and ‘terroir’  they might be, it could also be interesting and fun seeing if there  might yet be anything to it…

(c) google maps

Arran  9 yo single cask 2021 release  (casknumber 2011/1855) Aberdeen Whisky Shop exclusive, peated new make. Matured in a bourbon barrel, 54.6% ABV, 162 bottles (sold out) app. £75

Nose

Bursting with fruit  - mostly citrus with sweet oranges and orange peel and sweet and sour lemons. Vanilla and honey: also check! While it was distilled using 50 ppm barley, there’s very little sign of peat or smoke anywhere, and you really need to dig to find the merest suggestion of the peat in the shape of ashes and embers.

Palate

A bit prickly ion the arrival. Not necessarily hot or peppery (although there is some peppery spiciness there) but certainly ‘fizzy’. Less sweet than on the nose and the somewhat dry texture and mouthfeel seems to muffle some of the flavours. Spices and an earthy note is what I’m finding most. So let’s a drop of water… Ah yes, it opens up, restoring some of the fruit, but what I’m mostly finding now is a clear herbaceous, eucalyptus like note and the (still gentle) earthy peatiness.

Finish

Clinging and drying  with spices and herbal notes.

Secret Orkney 13 yo (2007 – 2020). The Nectar of the Daily Drams, 56.1% ABV. Sold out (app. €180 /£ 160 on secondary).

OK, I have no idea what the original retail price was for this – knowing the bottler and the time of release it would/could/should have been somewhere in the vicinity of €100 - €120 and regardless of how good it might be, the current asking price on secondary is stretching it imho. Anyway…

Nose

Treacle, coffee and toffee, salted caramel, dried fruits of berries and fruitcake going into a perfumy potpourri vibe even. Some spices (cinnamon) and maybe a hint of chocolate.

Palate

An immediate hit of salted caramel, bitter chocolate and coffee. Despite the 56.1% ABV, it doesn’t ‘bite’ or ‘sting’ in the slightest, making it very enjoyable to sip neat. Nonetheless, if you do choose to add a drop of water, things get cranked up to 11, adding both some wood charr and a nice layer of earthy, heathery peat to it all.

Finish

Long, warming, spices, salt and a whiff of peat

  Final thoughts

There’s a reason why  reason I picked these two samples to go head to head. While I also have several bottles of Arran and 1 or two indie HP’s in the cabinet is that both are cask strength expressions (which should allow more flavour to shine through) and they’ve been matured in wat I feel suits them best: in the case of Arran  it’s a bourbon barrel, and the exact same applies for the HP, as  I picked an (indie) cask strength, sherry cask matured Highland Park. I wanted the Arran to be peated to some extent as their tends to be a mellow peatiness to HP as well. Both, in my book, are distilleries capable of doing great things, but them ‘delivering’ anywhere, anytime isn’t a given as far as I’m concerned. I’m not overly enthused by some of Arran’s NAS core range expressions, and while I am fan of both their entry level ‘barrel select’ and their 10 yo, both delivering excellent bang for buck, I feel that for every winner they release, there’s also another that’s can be a bit uneventful.

This one though is very decent, I reckon. While it didn’t set my world on fire, I have absolutely enjoyed this wee sample. Arran and peat isn’t necessarily a winning combo either in my book, but in this case it was so shy (despite the 50 ppm!) I barely noticed it at all.

Essentially the same I said about Arran (Lochranza) can be said for Highland Park. Their core range offers some decent entry level stuff in the shape of their 10 and 12 yo, but there has been so much lukewarm, under parr yet overpriced stuff coming from this Orkney distillery in recent years, I pretty much gave up on buying their  official releases. That said, I’m always keen to look out for some ‘secret’ or ‘unnamed’ Orkney malts if they are reasonably priced. This one is a fine representation of what HP can offer you: rich, warm, spice driven and mellow peated goodness. All in all maybe a tad straightforward, but man, this is a morish dram if ever there was one!

Oh, and to conclude: putting these h2h didn’t solve my issue with the Islands as a region. Not in the slightest, even. What it did offer me, was a chance to try some very enjoyable, cask strength whiskies. While I might yet try to see if there is such a thing as a ‘quintessential’ island single malt whisky, just enjoying the ride and see where it takes us surely is what truly matters…