ARRAN 12 Year Old Cask Strength Batch 2 release bottled at cask strength. This edition is comprised of 17 first-fill sherry butts and 4 second-fill sherry hogsheads and is a sweet and spicy whisky.
ARRAN 12 Year Old Cask Strength Batch 2 of this rarity, a cask strength bottling of Arran 12 Years Old, was crafted from 17 first-fill sherry butts and 4 second-fill sherry hogsheads. There can’t be much of this to go around. In fact, as I type this, Arran is already on Batch #3 according to its website.
The nose is hot, but pretty. Nougat, malty — almost bread-like — with dense orange and spiced apple notes after. On the palate, the orange character takes on some raisin, marshmallow, and marzipan. Though it’s only 107.2 proof — many cask strength bottlings are far higher in alcohol — it really benefits from a few drops of water, soothing the heat and bringing out the more enchanting, dessert-like components of the malt — with even a touch of chocolate that you don’t find when sipping it sans water.
Released in September 2012 and limited to 13,200 bottles.
