ARRAN Madeira Wine Cask
This single malt whisky expression was added to the Arran distillery’s range of products in summer 2016. The whisky is initially aged in oak casks for an unknown length of time before being finished in casks previously used to store madeira wine. It is bottled at 50% ABV.
After initially maturing in traditional oak casks over a number of years The Arran Single Malt in this bottling was ‘finished’ in a selection of Madeira wine casks sourced from an artisan producer of this fortified wine from the island of Madeira some 800km south-west of Portugal. Our Master Distiller, James MacTaggart, has carefully monitored this period of secondary maturation to ensure the perfect balance is struck between the Madeira casks and the intrinsic sweet-fruity character of The Arran Malt. The end result is a Single Malt with a rich brooding character, full of complexity and quality.
What a pleasant dram this is! Arran Madeira Cask is fresh, aromatic and incredibly likeable. I’ve had many floral, fruity whiskies that sacrifice flavour for smoothness and delicacy. Yet this Arran offers both: it’s sweet without ever being boring. Quite the contrary, with its bottling strength of 50%, Arran Madeira Cask provides plenty of kick and manages to balance smoothness with a rich bouquet of interesting flavours. This dram is perfect for a sunny spring day when you’re in a good mood and everything seems to be going your way. Or to cheer you up when it’s not… Actually, you can just drink this Arran any time, it’s a mighty fine whisky!
As the name indicates, this Arran has received an additional maturation in casks that previously held Madeira wine. And while this whisky bears the influences of not one, but two different islands, it ironically does not have an obvious Island character. Like most Arrans, the Madeira Cask is an unpeated, fresh and floral whisky, but now overlaid with extra fruity, nutty flavours from the Madeira cask. The result is a delicious dram, which thanks to its bottling strength of 50% does not lack for vigour.
One of 5,760 bottles produiced, this Arran was finished in Arran Madeira Wine Casks and bottled July 2008.
