The festival Whisky in Leiden 2015 is coming up in under two weeks, so it’s time to have a look at the festival bottling, an Arran Private Cask distilled in 2000 and bottled from a sherry cask.
Arran 14 yo 2000 ‘Private Cask’
(55,7%, OB for Whisky in Leiden 2015, sherry hogshead #128, 202 btl.)
Arran 14 yo 2000 ‘Private Cask’Nose: starts in a dusty / waxy way. Quickly followed by lots of candied apples and hints of apricots. Honey. A rather subtle, fragrant and very jammy profile. Actually it reminds me of Balvenie in a way. Spicy notes (pepper) with some oak shavings. The juicy fruits are lovely but they struggle a little to stay on top.
Mouth: bright, with some bright (slightly tropical) fruits in the fore. Apricot jam, oranges, hints of tinned pineapple and mandarin even. Honey and beeswax. A growing spiciness again, mainly pepper and nutmeg. Modern, but nicely so.
Finish: medium long, drier now, on oranges and wood spices.
This one shows a profile that I haven’t seen before from Arran, with a nice fruitiness alongside firm oak spices. Good stuff and well priced: € 60. I believe the sales are temporarily on hold but the remaining bottles will be sold after the festival.
Score: 87/100