Arran 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

"Seamless" - whiskyadvocate.com

Clearly a different beast to the previous presentation, but just as good. The colour alone will be a major head turner for many - almost as dark as tea, but it’s the way sherry combines with Arran’s superb distillate that makes this one of the real highlights of the new collection. Given enough air contact, the nose develops into a stunning drier-styled sherry hit: fresh from the bag dried apricots, pears in wine, orange zest, Turkish delight and bitter dark chocolate, plus a deft sprinkling of ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg complete a beautiful composition that carries through to the palate. Again, dried fruits rally, this time accenting prunes, apricots and fruit mince pie. There's a flash of succulence before the finish turns deliciously bittersweet with citrus peels, fig, light rancio, gingery warmth and late hints of fruit and nut chocolate. Only slightly let down by the length - otherwise a brilliant juxtaposition of flavours. You simply don't find many like this nowadays. 46% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered. Very limited stocks.

Other reviews... The interplay of floral and sherried notes creates an elegance that other scotches surely envy: candied rose petal, dried orange peel and apricot, sugared almond, raisin, nougat, and dark chocolate on the nose, then candied violet, raisin, date, milk chocolate, dried ginger, candied orange peel, and gingerbread on the palate. The maturity shows in tropical fruit flavors and a deep, probing complexity. It finishes with chocolate, coffee, candied rose petal, and tobacco-laced oak. Seamless.
93 points - whiskyadvocate.com, reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton Spring 2021