When I went to Scotland for the first time in my life last year, I spent a few days in the beautiful city of Edinburgh. Whenever I made a reservation for a restaurant or any kind of tour and was asked for my name, I saw people writing Arran instead of Aaron. I thought this must be a sign to give this whisky a try. Arran is nowadays the only distillery on the Isle of Arran. Some two hundred years ago there were a lot of distilleries on this little island – some legal, some not – but over the years, one after another closed its doors for good. In 1991, about 160 years after the last distillery on Arran gave up the production of whisky, the construction of a new distillery was started on the island. And in 1995, Isle of Arran Distillers finally opened their doors. Today they offer several bottlings, including their whiskies from the Cask Finishes Series. One of them is The Sauternes Cask Finish bottled at powerful 50%. I really enjoyed every drop of this whisky, which is ideal for a summer night, but might also find your favour at any other time of the year. Besides the high profile of the Sauternes cask, which is very present in this whisky, there are also a great many other notes and flavours to discover. This dram is definitely not boring at all. And thanks to it, I am no longer concerned about being called Arran instead of Aaron when I am in Scotland.

by Aaron

Eye: Sparkling gold and yellow, almost like apple juice sparkling in the sun.
Nose: A lot of yellow fruits like honey melons, apricots or fresh, nippy and crisp apples just cut into slices. In the background there are also some spicy notes and the aroma of the Sauternes cask.
Palate: Much spicier than you would expect. The fruity notes are still there, but much more in the background than they were in the nose. There might also be a bit of citrus now. Actually, it is like sitting at the beach on a typical Scottish summer night with salt from the sea on your lips. But then again, there are also sweet honey notes and fresh herbs. And of course, you can still taste the Sauternes aroma.
Finish: Very powerful with honey mixed with an unexpected bitter aftertaste. But very delicious anyway.

Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Region: Scotland (Islands)
Aged: No Age Statement
Alc. volume: 50%
Bottle size: 0.7 litres
Price range: ~45.00 Euro
More info: http://www.arranwhisky.com (Website)