Whisky : Arran Smuggler Series Vol. 1 : The Illicit Stills

Country/Region : Scotland/Islands

ABV : 56.4%

Cask : Virgin American Oak, Port Pipe

Tasting : Neat in a Glencairn @ Home

Nose : Overripe peaches and stewed stone fruits lead the way. There are hints of cotton, a creamy pear custard, and sun baked hardwoods.

Palate : A blast of white pepper spice and black peppercorns open this dram. It takes a while before those spicy notes settle a bit into something more akin to a spicy yet sweet chili pepper. There are faint oaky vanilla notes and fresh berries.

Finish : Long and lingering vanilla and jam; a berry jam that’s been infused with chili peppers.

Score : 7

Whisky : Arran Smuggler Series Vol. 2 : The High Seas

Country/Region : Scotland/Islands

ABV : 55.4%

Cask : Bourbon Cask, Rum Cask

Tasting : Neat in a Glencairn @ Home

Nose : Close your eyes and this dram takes you straight to the ocean shore with hefty notes of salty sand and the rising tide. There are some intriguing sandalwood, pink peppercorn, and cardamon notes that come in and out. A bit of lavender perfume reminds me of the smell in Granny’s linen closet where I always hid during hide and seek.

Palate : The promising aroma of sea spray is lost in the palate, it’s as if I’ve retreated some distance from the sea and bought some salt water taffy on the boardwalk. Lavender salt water taffy it is as those floral notes stick around. They are joined, complimented, or clashing with an odd mineral note and a bit of spearmint.

Finish : A medium finish with a floral vanilla that fades a bit quicker than you would like.

Score : 6

Whisky : Arran Smuggler Series Vol. 3 : The Exciseman

Country/Region : Scotland/Islands

ABV : 56.8%

Cask : Quarter Cask, Madeira Wine

Tasting : Neat in a Glencairn @ Home

Nose : The prominent aroma of oil, wax, and leather invite a totally different experience. There are subtle sweet notes of dried orange peel lurking in the back ground. The wife described the nose as “lemon thyme chicken baking in the oven”— something a bit sweet, fatty, and savory all at once.

Palate : Sweet honey wine and thick mead with really odd, but complimentary, notes of squid ink, green papaya, and smoldering herbs. Those funky notes just barely keep the sweetness from being a bit overpowering.

Finish : Long and sweet like a hard piece of dried ginger candy.

Score : 6

Notes : A scotch trilogy packaged in lovely hollowed out books, Arran’s Smuggle Series asks you to close your eyes and relive the history of spirits smuggling. It is full of dashing adventure and entanglements with the British Crown as it extended greater authority and control over the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. It is a fun and well produced project that I would love to see replicated.

Without looking at the labels it was pretty easy to guess which title matched up with which dram. It is easy to imagine yourself in a dusty barn or attic, the air thick and hot as the still boils away as you sip at ‘Illicit Stills.’ The ‘High Seas’ smells of salt water and spice taking you right on the deck of a little boat or the cabin of a cutter traversing the channel at night with a valuable cargo hidden in the hold. Notes of wax and oil project the subterfuge and intrigue of avoiding an exciseman hot on your heels, or eyeing your manifest with suspicion, or checking our cottage for false walls or hidden doors.

As to the grading; I would rank Illicit Still as my favorite— I would likely pick up a bottle of this if I saw one available for ~$150. I enjoyed them all, but there is a lot of competition for other really great bottles at that price level. While I have seen the Exciseman at that price recently, I did not pick up the bottle. Second in the ranking for me is the High Seas and then finally Exciseman. I actually enjoyed those both immensely, High Seas had a better nose but weaker finish, and just barely ekes out second place. My wife ranked Illicit Stills as the best by far, Exciseman as generally good, and then High Seas a distant third. Ultimately, these special editions turned collectors item typically sit outside of my price range and while I am glad I got to try them as they are great blends, I do not see myself picking one up unless I stumble across a dusty discounted bottle. It would be hard to buy just one as well, I would love to have the ‘complete collection’ on the my shelf.

I would not have suspected these were cask strength or 55%+ abv as they are incredibly smooth and easy to drink. I had to double check the abv as I typed up my notes, they were such easy drinkers that I just assumed they had been bottled at Arran’s respectable typical 46%. The diversity of flavors that come out on these drams is amazing, they are each unique, while complimenting each other very well. 

I love the idea of blending or creating scotch that can summon mental images or convey specific ideas. I would be really fun to see them do a series dedicated to Robert Burns poems or maybe carve up another novel. How about a series of Jules Vernes malts?