Nose: strong sherry aromas, but they are very fresh. A nice mix of light fruity, citrus and sherry flavors. Flowery, caramel, toasted almonds, hazelnuts, raisins, marzipan, lemon, blood orange, sweetened peppermint tea.

Taste: oily, sweet, great onset, sweet / spicy, he pushes on with schnapps squash, apple juice, dried fig, peach, overripe pear, again the nut corners, milk chocolate.

Finish: Medium long, very sweet, the oak is noticeable, becomes dry but remains sweet and slightly tart, the citrus notes always resonate in the background.

Nice connection of the citrus-freight with the sherry-flavors, the alcohol-strength also fits very well. Not too young and no sulfur. Of that I could imagine a bottle zuzlegen, he is probably not too old, so it lacks in the mMn a bit of depth. Is still delicious

https://whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com/2021/01/20/swag-whats-in-your-cupboard-december-2020/

N: Comes across as rather obviously/blatantly sherried at first, but not so. Given time, it’s far more subtlety sherried with wax capacitors into citrusy [PX-ey?] raisins – an Arran clue there – cello-tape and Airfix glue in the background, red fruits, red apples, fusty fermented/drying leathery umami,… plenty here,…[no sulphur],… needs exploring.

T: Well made whisky with ‘more oloroso over >> PXey Arran‘, I write before Kenny nails it again. How good is he? Excellent is what! Descriptors-wise, we’ve thick fusty sour green confectionary wine gums. Without interfering cask influence, there’s no talk of the seams between cask/spirit – it’s all nicely consolidated. One might argue this is painting by numbers, perhaps, yet the painting is very good. Nothing wrong here.

F: Sour sweet creamy, almost emulsion-thick creamy finish.

C: Around €40 or £50, this is very good. Whilst some of the more established distilleries have struggled with adapting sherry-dependent profiles of their whiskies due to the new generation of sherry casks [Glenfarclas/Highland Park, for example], Arran seem to have found and maintained very decent quality [sherry] casks that suit their spirit, since their establishment in 1995.

Scores 85 points, all day long

N : first loads of caramel, actually very close to Don Papa and this is not a compliment. Hopefully it gets a bit over it, on hazelnuts and cereals. Dried figs too. Light dirtyness.

M : sherry (yes), bittersweet. Again with that cheap caramel. Light tobacoo and coffee beans. Touch of lavender too. Better than the Quarter Cask at hiding its age.

F : medium, still caramel but less fake than on the nose. Coffee. Lightly peppered.

Very synthetic like its bourbon sibling and just as capable in terms of showcasing cask influence. I'd say it's also better engineered. But really not my cup of tea. At about 40€, above average 6/10.

(Lot 20 08 19)
APPEARANCE: Between dark copper and medium brown colour.
NOSE: Initially sherry and wood notes, mint and some dried fruits and noticeable oak notes. With some air; dry, baked oak, sawdust, some alcohol, all overpowering the sherry. With more air the sherry cask reappears; vanilla, some dried fruits (quite dry impression), then molasses and some honey. Later dark treacle and dark honey. Dark chocolate. (86-87p) With a few drops of water it feels less oaky, more sherried and slighty older. After my third addition of a few drops it really starts to come around on the nose; oranges, lemons, dried orange rind, fortified sweet wine, some fruit cake, pine needles, mint. (87-88p)
TASTE: The arrival is mainly sherried (on rather dry, dried fruits) but also a bit woody and a bit nippy. On the mid palate a mix of wood / oak sawdust and dried fruits, with a little sweetness towards the end. (85p) With a few drops of water more of the sherry notes come forward. With another few drops, the whisky becomes sweeter, more sherry, less oak. Even better after my third addition of a few drops. Also sweeter. (86p)
FINISH: The finish is peppery, woody and slightly sweet. (84p) With quite a bit of water the finish becomes more civilised, rounder, less woody/peppery, softer. (85p)
OVERALL: Straight after the initial uncorking and undiluted, this presents itself as a quite intensely oaked and sherried, relatively young (5-8 years?) whisky. What it doesn’t do is reveal much of its Arran distillate/origins, although (hard) dilution brings some of it into the light. Several drops of water makes the expression older, more sherried and “smoother”. TOTAL SCORE (for now) 86 points.
I will let this breathe and re-review later, in some 4-12 months time.