1996 Isle Of Arran 27 Year Old "Vintage Bottlers Ltd" Rare Cask Series Single Sherry Butt #352 Non Chillfiltered Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

This remarkable expression from the Arran Distillery in Lochranza on the Isle of Arran is not the oldest Arran ever released, but it comes remarkably close. It is easily the oldest Arran we have ever sold and one of the oldest independent bottlings yet to reach the market. Distilled in 1996, just one year after the distillery opened, it represents an important benchmark for this exceptional modern producer, which has consistently delivered superb malt despite all the challenges of operating as an independent distillery in Scotland. Ordinarily, we would expect a new distillery to need several years to find its stride and produce whisky worthy of extended maturation, but this cask makes it clear that Arran had things dialed in from the beginning. Bottled at an incredible 27 years old, it stands stylistically alongside the finest mature Highland malts selling for many times the price. It is no powerhouse or smoke bomb, but it offers a delicacy that borders on the transcendent. Let’s taste it. The color is a shimmering old gold (0.6). The nose is hushed at first, but give it a little air and it begins to blossom: fine honey, fresh apricot, vanilla flowers, hints of cacao and shea butter, quince, distant ocean air, old oak, and citrus oil. The palate is extraordinarily delicate without ever feeling thin or overly oaked. Sweet, lightly roasted nuts mingle beautifully with the fresh fruit before giving way to a mid-palate surge of malt and a long, striking thread of oak spice. A tiny drop of water softens the faintly bitter spice on the finish, revealing an immensely drinkable, almost sweet, aperitif-style old Highland malt of the highest order. It is so beautifully composed that it comes as no surprise to see bottles selling for several hundred dollars more in the UK. Thanks to a new relationship with this bottler, however, we are able to offer this rare and impressive whisky at a price well below the prevailing market.