Arran Barrel Reserve

Autumn gold in colour. The bouquet is very fresh and light with poached pears in vanilla alongside icing sugar, apple puree and marshmallows. Memories of lemon sponge cask are revived. A simple bouquet in reality but not taxing or unbalanced. A gentle dusting of cinnamon, white chocolate and freshly baked shortbread. The palate is sweet initially, but this soon passes into fruits before vanishing very, very quickly. Vanilla custard, some pears and lime follow. Limited and vapid, but not offensive on the finish.

A dynamic new force in the scotch whisky industry, Isle of Arran Distiller is one of the few remaining independent distilleries in Scotland. Based at Lochranza on the Isle of Arran, one of the most beautiful and famous in Scotland which lies off the West Coast between Ayrshire and Kintyre. Arran is a unique island known as 'Scotland in Miniature', for it has all of the scenery of Scotland, with mountains and lowlands, glens, lochs and royal castles (including one at Lochranza). Early in the 19th century there were more than 50 whisky distilleries on Arran, most of them illegal and carefully hidden from the eyes of the taxmen. The malt from Arran was shipped to the mainland and enjoyed by the gentry who regularly "took the Arran waters". It was acclaimed at the time as the best in Scotland, only rivalled by those from the 'Glen of Livet'. They had found the purest water supply in all of Scotland at Loch na Davie, high in the hills that overlook the village of Lochranza on the North coast of Arran. Arran is washed by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream and enjoys a microclimate - ideal for the speedy maturation of single malt whiskies. As already stated, the Island already enjoyed a reputation for producing top quality - if illegal - whisky.