Whisky : Arran 9 Year; Single Cask Nation

Country/Region : Scotland/Islands

ABV : 56.3%

Cask : First Fill Ex-Bourbon

Age : 9 Year (Distilled Feb. 2010, Bottled Aug. 2019)

Nose : Ripe tropical fruits and whipped honey butter.  Aroma of canned pineapples, morning buns, tangerines, and creamy lilikoi/passionfruit curd.  Loads of sweet creamy, malty, and fruity layers combine with hints of fragrant sun dried vanilla beans and earthy tamarind.

Palate : Medium bodied with a bright flavor palate.  Sweet juicy fruits with a hint of salt and earthy undertones.  Pineapple juice, juiced ginger, crushed sugar cane, and tangy lime.  Youthful and spirited with subtle layers of cinnamon, vanilla extract, and malty lavosh.  Slight chalkiness and dried citrus peel develop near the end.

Finish :  Lingering tropical fruit juice concentrate and slightly overdone coconut macaroons.

Score : 7

Mental Image : Handmade Artisanal Sprite.

Something Better : Arran 16 Y R&BT (more tropical fruit/pastry notes, deeper finish)

Something Similar : Arran 14Y (similar tropical fruit/spirit, more floral, less finish)

Notes :  An absolutely tasty young Arran that embodied so much of what I love about the distillery.  Single Cask Nation came in with another wonderful single cask bottling, this Arran highlighted the wonderful buttery maltiness and fruit notes of the spirit.  The effect of the first fill ex-bourbon cask was to  elevate the flavor profile with additional notes of vanilla and spice.  The nose on this was particularly wonderful and had an almost effervescent quality to the sharpness of the fruits.  The only thing holding this back a bit was the youthful quality of the spirit— sometimes the body was not quite as thick as I would like and the youth of the malt really began to show through.  The dram was still excellent, but it ultimately lacked as much depth on the palate as I hoped for and the finish turned slightly bitter and dry at the end.  I really wonder what this would have been like a few more years in the cask— especially since it reminded me at times of the wonderful R&BT Arran.

Overall, if you count yourself a fan of Arran, or you just love a dram with a blast of tropical fruits and malty pasties— then this would be right up your alley.  It really showed off the quality of the spirit and provides an interesting contrast to some of the older Arran editions.