A single cask bottling for the Isle of Arran distillery; the nose is fragrant and spicy with wood notes, very light tobacco, coffee (espresso) and chocolate. After a time there is a very enjoyable sweetness; Demerara sugar perhaps. A little time in the hand finally brings out the bourbon notes and a heavy sweet dessert wine. Quite lovely. With water biscuity malt pops out followed by very faint leather, tobacco, wood notes yet still quite sweet. Quite an amazing nose. The taste is very strong (not a shock considering 57.5%) and is meaty and chewy plus quite a bit of dry malt and some hints of green notes. With water the picture changes dramatically; sweet, malty and full bodied. Some strong fruit (think of fruit leather) and dark chocolate, brandy and a wood workers shop; dusty and dry. The finish has some later stages of bitterness much akin to bitter almonds and wave upon wave of malt. Wood and then the meatiness once again and finally the bitter almonds. An extraordinarily unusual & complex single malt that takes a large measure of water.

£42 at https://www.lfw.co.uk/

Score 84 points

From the back label “Every year our Distillery Manager inspects all of the casks maturing in our Warehouses on Arran. Using his many years of experience and skill he is searching for casks which have matured exceptionally well over the years. When he has determined which casks have developed the most individual and interesting character, these are prepared as a Single Cask bottling. This high quality limited edition product is then made available for sale with each bottle individually numbered as proof of authenticity. http://www.arranwhisky.com/