The Arran Malt 18yo – 46% abv

Info: Arran finally comes of age with its release of their 18yo, the third and final release in a trilogy that started with a 16yo which was released two years ago. More info on the 18yo here.
Colour: Light golden with great legs.
Nose: Malty, oily & full. Spicy but sweet, touches of ozone.
Palate: Thick and buttery, and easier on your palate than you would imagine from the slightly spicy nose. There’s malt, but really well balanced with autumn stewed fruits, red berries, gooseberries, blackcurrants and stewed apple, with a small dollop of vanilla custard. Very pleasant.
Finish: Long with a gentle freshness, slightly herbal, smoothly sweet with those late summer fruits lingering for a good while.
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Arran’s Devil’s Punchbowl III “The Fiendish Finale” – 53.4% ABV

Info: This final bottling rounds off the trilogy in great style. It’s a multi-age blend matured in Oloroso Sherry Butts and French Oak Barrique casks which gives the spirit a devilishly unique, deep flavour.  6,660 bottles available worldwide, 840 in the UK.
Colour: Light bright clear gold.
Nose: Abundant with malt, light, ozoney, almost a drop of coastal air / slight saltiness. There’s a faint nuttyness from the sherry, and a creaminess from the French Oak… overall the nose is just very slightly closed, I think a drop of water would help open it up.
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The Arran Malt 17 Year Old – 46% OB

Arran 17 Year Old is the last release in a trilogy counting down to the launch of the 18 year old in 2015.

The oldest official bottling from the distillery at the time of release. It’s made from un-peated malted barley and matured in the finest ex-sherry casks giving it a unique and distinctive flavour.

Colour: Full golden, fairly rich.

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Ok, so I can often be guilty about blogging and reviewing unaffordable whiskies because I’m lucky enough to get a sample of something posh… It’s my whisky journey so still valid to blog about… but for your everyday whisky that’s actually affordable without breaking the bank and great to have on your shelf, I am sometimes guilty of not enough reviews and being caught up in the shiny shiny.

So let’s change that with a review of Robert Burns Malt from Isle of Arran Distillers which recently won a Silver award at this year’s International Wine and Spirits Competition. Here’s Arran’s text about this malt…

This is an official Arran Single Malt which has been endorsed by The World Robert Burns Federation.  Made from approx 70% Bourbon Casks and 30% Sherry Casks, this light aromatic Single Malt is ideal for drinking, prior to or during a meal.  Very fresh with no artificial colouring, this beautifully packaged malt is made for easy drinking.

On to my review…
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The Devil’s Punchbowl Chapter II:
‘Angels & Devils’ – 53.1% abv.

You may have seen the recent news that Arran has released batch two of it’s Devil’s Punchbowl whisky, and if batch one’s release last year is anything to go by, then this will be a good one, well loved, and speedy to sell (and then hit the auctions).

So with those things in mind, let’s take a bit of a more in depth look at this dramming delight, made up of a batch of 27 casks of Arran malt whisky. Here’s my review…
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