Whisky : Arran 7 Year, PM Spirits

Country/Region : Scotland/Islands*

ABV : 45.6%

Cask : First Fill Ex-Bourbon, Réno-Valdie Forest Oak Barrel

Age : 8 Years (Distilled 2011, Bottled July 2020)

Nose :  Earthy, floral, and citrus.  Notes of dried grass and pressed florals led into earthen bbq ovens, meaty roasted pork, and a cloud of ash.  Pleasant citrus and spice with pepper, brown sugar, and charred orange peel.

Palate :  Medium bodied and oily with notes of herbs, citrus and earth.  Bitter orange and grapefruit peel came to mind right away with citrus oil, herbal tinctures, and baked pears.  Charred grass, soot, and bacon lingered on the mid palate.  At the end were lighter floral notes with sweet tangerine.

Finish : Lingering citrus and ash.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Fire Warning on the Prairie

Notes : As with my previous review of a PM Spirits Arran, this one needed a few asterisks.  First off, it was not technically scotch as it spent most of its life in a French cognac cellar (or shed, as the case may be.)  Once a whisky leaves Scotland without being bottled (with the exception of bulk blends which can be bottled elsewhere), even if it comes back, it can no longer be labeled as scotch whisky under SWA rules.  The second asterisk was needed for the age of the whisky, while the label says 7 years, final bottling was actually delayed beyond 2019 which gave the whisky an additional year in the cask.

This heavily peated Arran (50 ppm before distillation) was an interesting beast.  Not incredibly complex but loaded with a nice contrast between bitter and sweet with elements of char.  There was a nice viscosity and good structure to the mouthfeel.  This avoided the sort of bitter ash notes of the Machrie Moor cask strength that I absolutely despised, but it lacked the sort of complexity that I really wanted.  While some heavily peated drams really shine at eight years old, I am not sure Arran hits in quite the same way due to its lighter and delicate flavor notes.