Arran 12 Year Old 1999 Vintage Pinot Noir Wine Cask Single Island Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 46%
An island full of wild ripe berries, salt air and a hint of Burgundy. Not your typical combination — but then Arran isn't your typical distillery.
Isle of Arran sits in the Firth of Clyde, west of Glasgow, and is often described as Scotland in miniature: steep mountains, green valleys, dramatic coastline and a character that's hard to explain but easy to recognise in the glass. The distillery in Lochranza opened in 1995 and is the island's only one — for over 150 years there was no legal production here whatsoever, after the British excise authorities shut down the last distillation in the 1800s. That was a long pause. But when Arran came back, they came back in style.
This Vintage 1999 is part of Arran's exclusive series of vintage bottlings — distilled in 1999 and bottled in 2011 after 12 years in cask. It was made exclusively for the professional Danish whisky trade, meaning you won't find it in British or German shops. The whisky began its life in ex-bourbon casks, which are Arran's primary maturation vessel and the foundation of the distillery's bright, fruity and relatively lean character. The finish has been in Pinot Noir wine casks — and that's where things get interesting. Pinot Noir is a grape with relatively light tannins, red berries and a faint earthy edge, and it leaves clear traces in the whisky without taking over.
Nose: Complex from the first sniff. Ripe red berries, macerated cherries and a little grape juice, followed by spices — star anise, cinnamon and white pepper. Underneath sits a distinct and pleasant malty sweetness and a small trace of salty island character, a reminder that we're on a Scottish Atlantic coast and not in Burgundy.
Palate: Silky and slightly oily in texture with pronounced fruitiness — grapes, red berries, fermented apples and a peppery edge that keeps the energy up. Caramel sweetness and vanilla hold it together, and there are enough tannins from the wine cask to give structure.
Finish: Medium to long, spiced, with dryness from the wine cask and a warm island character that slowly fades. Gentle and elegant.
Fruity · Winey · Spiced · Touch of Salt · Light Oak
Facts Name: Arran 1999 Vintage Pinot Noir Wine Cask Single Island Malt Scotch Whisky Distillery: Arran (Lochranza Distillery) Region/Country: Isle of Arran, Scotland Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky ABV: 46.0% Size: 700 ml Cask type: Ex-bourbon (primary maturation), Pinot Noir wine cask (finish) Distilled: 1999 Bottled: 2011 Age: 12 years Edition: Vintage 1999 — exclusive to professional Danish whisky retailers Unchillfiltered Natural Colour Number of bottles: Not disclosed
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Did you know? Isle of Arran went more than 150 years without a single legal distillery. The first Excise-registered operation — the distillery in Lochranza — didn't open until 1995, and the first official single malt from here appeared in bottles in 1998. That makes all seriously old Arran quite a young whisky in historical terms.
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