Those we do not speak of…(part 1)

Ignored, overlooked, understated… expressions, brands, distilleries and bottlers

Some of you may remember that in the past I’ve did 2 series labelled ‘Unsung Hero’s or Downright Zero’s’ . Throughout those series I took a closer look at readily available expressions from well-known brands and distilleries which, for whatever reason, seldom seem to get a lot of attention coming their way. For this series I decided to pick up on that idea, but expand things a bit. The idea this time round is to widen the scope a bit and also explore some lesser known releases from lesser known distilleries or indie bottlers. Those readily available expressions no one talks about will still make an appearance though, so basically I’m mixing things up by picking both whiskies that are, generally speaking, readily available at most liquor stores and/or easily found online, as well as putting some more obscure brands, distilleries and bottlers in the footlights. The general idea, of course, remains the same: trying to find out whether or not there are some blind spots that deserve to be uncovered, or rather that we’ve been right all along in ignoring whatever it is we’ve been ignoring thus far.

And to ‘ease you in’, my first pick will be an easily available (core range) and affordable (€50-€55 / £42/£50) whisky from a well celebrated distillery. And while some well-regarded and trustworthy reviewers have devoted (youtube) reviews on this whisky, it still seems to be struggle to claim its place alongside some of its more celebrated siblings.

Arran Amarone Cask, 50% ABV, NC, UCF, bottling date 12.04.2022, app. €50-€55 (£45 / USD 60)

Arran takes up a fairly unique place in the whole whisky spectrum in my opinion. Sure, it has become a household name in the whisky world over the years, but I feel it’s fair to say its background is a most peculiar one. Mainly because of the fact that it was built in the first half of the 19990’s, to start producing in the Summer of 1995. Bear in mind this was a time when, apart from the anoraks, few (and I do mean very few) people seemed to be bothered at all about whisky. It’s hard to fathom the idea now, but I’m pretty sure that when roughly 30 years ago permits and planning requests were submitted to different authorities and municipalities, more than a few eyebrows were raised, quite possibly followed by a barely suppressed smirk. After all, who in their right minds would be willing to start a new distillery when just a decade earlier, dozens of others, often well-established distilleries were being closed, mothballed and dismantled. Sometimes, there’s a thin line between being labelled a visionary and a fool, but the benefit of having hindsight, is that it’s fair to say that the critics were dead wrong when it came to Arran. During those 3 decades the distillery grew from strength to strength, with the establishment of their sister distillery Lagg as living proof of its success.

Also in hindsight, I can’t help but feel that particularly in those earlier years it might well have been a case of touch and go on a few occasions. I don’t know if many of you have ever tried some of the earlier releases of Arran, but I don’t think I’m revealing any secrets when I say that batch variation and setting a standard quality on some of those releases were definitely issues they had to deal with.

So, personal opinion here, I feel we may need to look at Arran as a distillery that started not once, but twice. The first time when it started production in 1995; and a second time when James Mac Taggart took the helm in 2007. Now retired, under guidance and management of MacTaggart Arran truly started to make a name for itself, building its reputation with celebrated and revered expressions along the years. Upon his retirement, Lochranza and Lagg are living testimony to a once again thriving isle of Arran when it comes to whisky distilling. Something he may look back on with pride and satisfaction, and most definitely something his successors can build on.

Apart from establishing the age stated core range, Arran also built a range of finished NAS expressions. If memory serves me right, it was their Sauternes cask finish which came first, later followed by the sherry, port and the Amarone cask finish I’ll be discussing today. Although all of these are NAS, it’s assumed that the bulk of these releases comes from whiskies that have matured for somewhere between 7 and 9 years. If you consider the fact that all of these come at 50% ABV (the quite popular quarter cask even at batch strength), without added colouring or chill filtering and at a MSRP of some £45, we can only commend Lochranza for avoiding cynical profit maximisation and keeping these expressions available and affordable. Especially taking into account that in terms of production capacity they are by no means one of the larger distilleries out there, pricing your whisky fairly deserves credit. In today’s market, there are examples a plenty of other distilleries of similar and even larger scale to understand that we shouldn’t take this for granted.

Despite being of a fairly limited scale (roughly a 1 mio LPA capacity), Arran has established a steady and rather expansive core range, with probably the 10 yo, the aforementioned quarter cask and the 18 yo as ‘flagship’ expressions; which might explain why the Amarone (and probably also the Port cask finish) are often left standing in the shadows a bit.

So, what’s what then, eh?

Nose

Gentle wood spice. A noticeable sweetness coming from a combination of strawberry, sugar, apricot, pear syrup, red grapes and sweet nuts (sugared almonds and hazelnuts). The signature fruity Arran notes topped with vanilla driven sweetness and sweet spices, while some gentle wood and a very faint dark chocolate note counter things. By no means complex, but pleasant none the less.

Palate

Warm arrival with coffee, toffee, some fudge and chocolate. Again, that fruity sweetness with strawberry and blackcurrant sitting on some gentle spices and soft pepper, making for a medium full, dry mouthfeel.

Finish

Medium long. Warming and peppery, with a hint of wood towards the end.

Final thoughts

Much like the Barrel Reserve which has to ‘compete’ against the Arran 10, I can’t help but feel this Amarone finish too is getting some rather stiff competition from Arran’s other expressions. All are similarly priced, but given that other expressions (particularly the sherry Bodega which is often tipped as a valid alternative for the now overpriced Aberlour A’bunadh, and the peoples’ favourite that is the Quarter Cask) have been given plenty of praise, I can see why this expression may not always be given its due attention. Enjoyable and quaffable, this makes for some easy sipping whisky. Quite pleasant, but perhaps lacking a bit in complexity and development. To be truly gripping, it could’ve done with a bit more depth, but then again: I don’t think that’s what this whisky is aiming for either. As part of the ‘finish’ series, it would probably make for an interesting experience to line up the whole range of expressions and look for the similarities and differences, if you truly want to get your geek on. If, however, you are just looking for a decent, well priced, enjoyable and straightforward whisky without overthinking things: this well suits the bill in my opinion. 83/100