robust body and a heavier peat influence more redolent of the whisky produced on the island in days gone by.

Unfortunately, this bottling comes without an age statement, but at least it has very detailed information about the type of casks used:

And even though I usually don’t pay too much attention to the packaging, I really really love this one. Seriously, I think it’s just great, although it’s part of the reason why this bottling is priced the way it is (about 120€ to 140€ on release).

Facts

Arran Smugglers’ Series Vol. I ‘The Illicit Stills’

© Isle of Arran Distillers

Nose

A bit youngish, but all in all pleasant and rounded. The alcohol is well integrated. Some sweetish peat smoke right off the bat, not too heavy, just a hint. A complex fruitiness emerges with notes of plums, sweet oranges, dried fruits and strawberry yogurt. Next come notes of vanilla, sponge cake, roasted almonds in white chocolate and charred oak, followed by coastal elements.

Taste

Full-bodied, strong and very intense. Red and yellow plums as well as sweet red fruits are finely balanced by a mix of white pepper, dying embers and ash. Peach flavored green tea and sweet white grapes come along. Gets pretty spicy and oaky towards the end.

Finish

Long with lots of peat smoke and wood fire ash. Dried apricots and citrus tea, joined by maritime notes.

Overall

I think the peat and the port are both too loud and cover a bit too much of the distillery character. That being said, I really enjoyed The Illicit Stills overall. It’s a full-bodied, pleasantly intense Arran, although it’s missing that little something extra in my opinion.

Score: 85 / 100

By the way, a bothy is a is a basic shelter, usually left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge (thanks wikipedia!). So either “bothy” has also another meaning I am not aware of or I don’t fully understand what this has to do with whisky. May it as it be, it’s time to taste.

Facts

Arran ‘The Bothy’ Quarter Cask (Batch 1)

Nose

Very rich. Lots of vanilla and warm caramel, balanced by all kinds of tropical fruits: canned pineapples, dried coconuts, unripe bananas and green mangoes. Hints of cinnamon and orange blossom, followed by sweet malt, dusty sandalwood and citrus candles.

Taste

Creamy and fresh. A thrilling balance between sweet citrus fruits and spicy elements of pepper, chili and ginger. Fresh pineapples and green apples emerge, together with hints of vanilla and bitter oak.

Finish

Medium with a dry bitterness. Oak and dried flowers combined with a whiff of citrus fruits and peaches.

Overall

I really like The Bothy, although it has some youngish elements in it. Either that, or the maturation in the quarter casks was a bit too long. Anyways, overall another really good expression from Arran, especially when you like the combination of lovely exotic fruits and strong spices.

Score: 86 / 100

The Arran 18 Years Old Limited Edition was really good, so let’s see if this bottling can hold up against it.

Facts

Arran 1996 (Simply Good Whisky by Kirsch)

Nose

Sweet with a slightly alcoholic, yet not necessarily unpleasant, note. A big, fat honeydew melon together with red apples, oranges and grapes. Lemon cake, spicy vanilla and cacao powder. Some dusty oak and sawdust in the back.

Taste

More sweetness. Starts with a strong honey note, which gets pushed away by pepper, ginger and vanilla fairly quickly. Following this, sugared lime juice, cola fizz lollies and a bit of chocolate emerge. No indications of the cask strength though.

Finish

Long with a lot of oak. Walnuts. A whiff of pepper and dried fruits.

Overall

Fantastic in the nose and really diverse on the palate. A more than just simply good Arran!

Score: 87 / 100

Facts

Arran 18 Years Old Limited Edition

Nose

Fresh, clean and a bit sweet. A big portion of vanilla ice cream with flambeed peaches. Joined by sherry soaked apples, cinnamon candied almonds and some bitter orange marmalade. A few drops of wild flower honey. Again some dusty sawdust, but in a more subtle way this time.

Taste

Rather dry, but sweetish. Baked apple rings with caramel sauce. Strewn with cinnamon and nutmeg. A bit of toasted oak, but not much. Nicely rounded off by some sherry.

Finish

Quite long. Evolving dryness with hazelnut dark chocolate. Hints of oak.

Overall

An excellent milestone and the growing glory of the trilogy. A true Arran Malt, well-aged and full of character.

Score: 90 / 100

Sample provided by Thorsten Jung (Spiritscorner.eu)

Facts

Arran 17 Years Old Limited Edition

Nose

Surprisingly dry in the nose for an Arran Malt. There is still a certain fruitiness but it is rather toned down and pretty sour –  pretty dominant apple cider vinegar, pears, even more apples (this time red ones), some berries and a few drops of lime juice. Candied orange slices and very ripe pineapples. More in the background hay and beeswax. And with some time there is again this sawdust dustiness.

Taste

Starts rather spicy with gingerbread and cigar leaves, but also a few citrus fruits. Moves on to hot chocolate, heather honey and cinnamon before licorice kicks in.

Finish

Long. Rather dry and spicy with ginger, lemon zest and licorice.

Overall

A nice step up from the 16 Years Old. Maybe a little bit too much emphasis on the spicy side of things but I like the added complexity.

Score: 88 / 100

Sample provided by Thorsten Jung (Spiritscorner.eu)

The first part of this trilogy was the Arran 16 Years Old, back then the oldest distillery bottling.

I will review the two other parts of this trilogy later today.

Facts

Arran 16 Years Old Limited Edition

Nose

At first a bit hot in the nose for 46.0% but this first impression does not last too long. Now sweet and floral. Clover honey, dry hay, heather flowers and a bit grassy. Traces of oranges and lemons. With some time a certain dustiness settles in, which reminds me of fresh sawdust.

Taste

Green apples, steam cooked limes and vanilla pudding. Followed by some pepper and ginger.

Finish

Quite long. Starts with spicy oak and ends with oranges and tobacco leaves.

Overall

Not a whole lot of complexity but well made all around and extremely pleasant.

Score: 86 / 100

Sample provided by Thorsten Jung (Spiritscorner.eu)

But what is Bere Barley? First of all, Bere is Scotland’s oldest cultivated barley. It was introduced to the United Kingdom by the Vikings over 1000 years ago. A couple centuries later it was widely used by brewers and distillers. However Bere was very challenging to grow and despite its rapid growth (hence the byname “the 90-day barley”) it is considered a barley of lower yield. Thus it is not surprising that eventually it fell out of style to make place for higher-yielding varieties. The very same happened to other formerly widely used barleys, too.

And this is where the Agronomy Institute of Orkney College comes into play. Since 2002 the institute has a research program for growing Bere more easily and with increased yield in order to preserve this fundamental part of Scotland’s agricultural heritage. As a result of this research, several new markets (beer, biscuits but as we can see also whisky) developed for Bere Barley. For the Arran Orkney Bere Barley the barley was planted on Orkney, malted in Iverness and than distilled and warehoused on Arran.

One final thought: For several years now finishes (especially in wine casks) were all the range. Will be the usage of nowadays not widely used barley the next big thing? Well, only time will tell I guess.

Facts

Arran Orkney Bere Barley 2014

Nose

First off, plenty of hay and grass. Forest floor after a rainfall. Wet leaves. Then more subtle notes of heather, lavender, wholemeal biscuits and floral honey. After a while tropical fruits develop. Unripe pineapple. Soon afterwards the Arran typical citrus note chimes in to say hello.

Taste

Very sour. Feels like chewing on a fresh plowed lemon. Then a big sip of peppercorn sauce to flush down all the lemon flesh. And I am talking about really big black pepper corns here. The spiciness gets less after a while and now there are hints of green fruits and Limoncello. Then another, although this time smaller, sip from that peppercorn sauce. Over all hovers the ever-present malt.

Finish

very long, half dry and half sour. Some spicy oak. Leaves a earthy aftertaste

Overall

Very different from other Arrans I know but definitely an interesting one. Quite a fun ride with some distinct old school roughness to it.

Score: 85 / 100