Isle of Arran 11yo 1998/2009 (55.6%, SMWS, refill butt/ex bourbon, 598 Bts., 121.30) – Scotch Whisky Tasting Note
Isle of Arran 11yo 1998/2009 (55.6%, SMWS, refill butt/ex bourbon, 598 Bts., 121.30)
A single cask bottling from the Society, happily bottled at cask strength, without chill filtration or the addition of the hated caramel. The nose has hints of Balsamic vinegar, liquorice and is very closed beyond this, water is needed. Now there is malt, wood notes. The undiluted taste is strong, like brandy along with cherries and malt. The taste diluted is good; sherry notes, fruit, sweetness, apricots, green tea, fragrant notes and malt. The finish is malty, vaguely perfumed and then some solid tobacco notes and all in all it’s a very good finish. Its mouth filling, the tobacco appears again along with a dryness and oak spice. A vibrant finish that is long and good. No unhappy notes.
Tasted blind one would be hard pressed to identify this as an Arran. The right amount of water makes all the difference.
US$105
Score 83 points
Sample SMWS Bottle Image
How can it be a “single cask bottling” when it says “refill butt/ex bourbon”?
AH! Well spotted; it is a single cask however, it has been matured for a period in one cask and then transferred to another cask. This is allowed and quite legal.
I believe you, although it does seem a bit of a stretch of the English language; perhaps it should say “single cask extra-matured”. Regardless, please explain how it works. A butt holds around 500 liters and a standard ex-bourbon barrel holds around 200 liters. If it started in the butt and was transferred to the ex-bourbon barrel, even after factoring in the ullage, there would be a great surplus of liquid with nowhere to go. I guess it could have been transferred to two or three ex-bourbon barrels (and the contents of these then vatted together before bottling?), but you have to admit there’s now an awful lot of casks floating around to be called “single cask”. 🙂 If it started in the ex-bourbon barrel and was transferred to the butt, the butt would be more than half-empty; I can’t imagine they’d do that. And even if “ex-bourbon” meant a 250-liter hogshead…
🙂
Fair points, perhaps it’s a going a bit far to assume the butt was full at the time of transfer?? Lots left unanswered indeed; a curious bottling none the less.
The SMWS will be able to answer these questions…one can only go by the label at this point.