Every story has a first chapter. For Torabhaig, this bottle was it – the very first whisky the distillery ever released.

Expert's description

Torabhaig First Release Legacy 2017/2020 Single Malt Whisky Skye 70 cl 46% is a Isle of Skye Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in First-fill ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 46%.

This first release in The Legacy Series was distilled in 2017 and bottled as early as 2020 after just three years of maturation in first-fill ex-bourbon casks.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Sea, salt, vanilla, oak, candy sugar and citrus.

Palate

Mild smoke, apples, candy sugar and charred oak.

Finish

Long and delicious.

Specifications

Name: Torabhaig First Release Legacy 2017/2020 Single Malt Whisky Skye 70 cl 46%
Distillery: Torabhaig
Region/Country: Isle of Skye
Type: Isle of Skye Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 3 Years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: First-fill ex-bourbon casks
Non-chill filtered: No
Natural colour: No
Distilled: 2017
Bottled: 2020
Edition: Legacy Series Chapter 1 – Torabhaig's first-ever release
EAN no.: 5060033848005

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Maritime · Spiced · Fresh

Investment Potential

Medium – as the very first commercial release from Torabhaig, this bottle marks a historic moment for the distillery, which typically gives debut releases from new distilleries increased collector interest over time.

Did you know?

Torabhaig is located on the Sleat peninsula on the Isle of Skye and names its releases after local places and Gaelic names from the area around the distillery.

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From one of France's finest Sauternes producers come the casks that gave this Arran its signature sweetness — a whisky that flirts with the dessert table.

Another angle on Arran's popular series finished in used wine casks.

Expert Description

Arran Sauternes Cask Finish is a Single Islands Malt Whisky finished in Sauternes wine casks and bottled at 50%.

The casks are sourced from one of the French region's finest producers and bring a sweetness to the whisky rarely found in Scotch. The sweetness from the noble sweet white wine layers over Arran's own citrus character, creating a dessert-friendly profile.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Rich sweetness from the Sauternes casks with a trace of honey.

Palate

Sweet with notes of vanilla, caramel and Arran's well-known citrus note.

Finish

Medium length and soft with lingering sweetness.

Specifications

Name: Arran Sauternes Cask Finish
Distillery: Arran
Region/Country: Isle of Arran, Scotland
Type: Single Islands Malt Whisky
ABV: 50%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Finished in Sauternes wine casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
EAN no.: 5060044481949
Serving suggestion: With sweet desserts, or strong cheese where the sweetness brings balance

Flavour Profile

Sweet · Wine-toned · Citrus-forward · Smooth

Did You Know?

Sauternes is a sweet white wine from the Bordeaux region, made from grapes affected by noble rot — a fungus that concentrates the grapes' sweetness before they become wine.

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Twenty-five years is the oldest age the Arran distillery has put on a bottle — a testament to how far the distillery has come since its first year in 1995.

A limited number have reached Denmark of this mature, deeply complex release.

Expert Description

Arran 25 Year Old is a Single Islands Malt Whisky matured in a mix of used bourbon and sherry casks, bottled at 46%.

As the distillery's oldest release, this bottle represents a quarter century of patience. The two cask types work together, giving a fullness and complexity that only truly shows after this many years in the warehouse.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Fruit cake with toasted almond and honey notes.

Palate

Complex with black pepper and many nuances of ripe fruit and spice.

Finish

Long and warming with lingering spice.

Specifications

Name: Arran 25 Year Old
Distillery: Arran
Region/Country: Isle of Arran, Scotland
Type: Single Islands Malt Whisky
Age: 25 years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Mix of used bourbon and sherry casks
EAN no.: 5060044484001
Serving suggestion: In a Glencairn glass at room temperature

Flavour Profile

Mature · Spiced · Nutty · Complex

Investment Potential

Medium – as the distillery's oldest permanent release, with a limited number of bottles reaching Denmark, it typically draws interest from collectors wanting to cover the full Arran age range.

Did You Know?

When this whisky was distilled, the Arran distillery was still brand new — making this bottle one of the earliest proofs of how well Lochranza's whisky can develop over time.

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Adelphi typically tastes 25 casks to find one good enough for their name. This is the one — a 20-year-old Arran, selected by two of the whisky trade's most respected figures.

Bottled at full cask strength to mark the independent bottler FC Whisky's 20th anniversary.

Expert Description

Arran 1999/2020 Adelphi Selection 20 Year Old FC Whisky is a Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in cask number 465 and bottled at 52.5%.

The whisky was distilled on 31 December 1999 and bottled on 7 January 2020 by the independent whisky merchant Adelphi Selection, whose manager Alex Bruce and whisky writer Charles MacLean together approve fewer than 4% of the casks they taste. This bottle marks FC Whisky's 20th anniversary, and with only 175 bottles from a single cask, it's a rare chance to taste Arran through one of Scotland's most discerning independent bottlers.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Ripe fruit and honey, with a depth that only comes from two decades of maturation.

Palate

Rich and layered, where Arran's classic citrus character meets a warm, spiced structure from the cask.

Finish

Long and dry with a final trace of oak and spice.

Specifications

Name: Arran 1999/2020 Adelphi Selection 20 Year Old FC Whisky
Distillery: Arran
Bottler: Adelphi Selection
Region/Country: Isle of Arran, Scotland
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 20 years
ABV: 52.5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Cask No. 465
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 31.12.1999
Bottled: 07.01.2020
Number of bottles: 175
Edition: Arran Millennium Malt 20th Anniversary Bottling FC Whisky
Serving suggestion: In a Glencairn glass at room temperature

Flavour Profile

Fruity · Spiced · Oak-driven · Complex

Investment Potential

Medium – a 20-year-old Adelphi bottling from a single cask with only 175 bottles typically draws interest from collectors who follow independent bottlers.

Did You Know?

Adelphi was founded in 1826 on the banks of the Clyde near Glasgow, closed in the early 1900s, and was revived in 1993 when a grandson of a former owner relaunched the firm as an independent bottler.

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Ten years is where many whisky drinkers first really meet Arran — an age-appropriate, easy-to-grasp introduction to the distillery's style.

A combination of mostly bourbon and a smaller sherry component that shows the breadth of Arran's character.

Expert Description

Arran 10 Year Old is a Single Islands Malt Whisky matured mostly in American bourbon casks with a smaller share of sherry casks, bottled at 46%.

Around 60% of the whisky comes from bourbon casks, with the rest sherry-matured, giving a balance between bright fruitiness and a deeper sweetness. The classic citrus tone Arran is known for comes through clearly across both cask types.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Sweet vanilla, banana, melon and cocoa.

Palate

More complex aromas with a deep character that never covers up the classic citrus tone.

Finish

Medium length and soft with lingering citrus and a light sweetness.

Specifications

Name: Arran 10 Year Old
Distillery: Arran
Region/Country: Isle of Arran, Scotland
Type: Single Islands Malt Whisky
Age: 10 years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Mostly bourbon casks, smaller share of sherry casks
EAN no.: 5060044480638
Serving suggestion: In a Glencairn glass at room temperature

Flavour Profile

Fruity · Citrus-forward · Sweet · Creamy

Did You Know?

Arran 10 Year Old is often considered the distillery's clearest calling card — it combines nearly all of Arran's hallmarks in one easy-drinking bottle.

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Smaller casks mean more contact between whisky and wood — and The Bothy is Arran's proof of how fast that contact can leave its mark.

A full-bodied, oily whisky with an extra push from Quarter Cask maturation.

Expert Description

Arran Quarter Cask The Bothy is a Single Islands Malt Whisky matured in 1st fill bourbon casks and finished in Quarter Casks, bottled at 56.2%.

The whisky spends around eight years in 1st fill bourbon casks before moving to 100-litre Quarter Casks for about 18 months. The smaller casks give markedly more contact between whisky and wood than standard casks, speeding up maturation and delivering a more intense character in less time.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Vanilla sweetness and freshly ground pepper in a full-bodied, oily aroma.

Palate

Spiced and intense with the same rich, oily character the nose promises.

Finish

Powerful and warming, with the cask strength's clear kick.

Specifications

Name: Arran Quarter Cask The Bothy
Distillery: Arran
Region/Country: Isle of Arran, Scotland
Type: Single Islands Malt Whisky
ABV: 56.2%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill bourbon casks, finished in Quarter Casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
EAN no.: 5060044483790
Serving suggestion: In a Glencairn glass, a drop of water is welcome

Flavour Profile

Spiced · Full-bodied · Oily · Intense

Did You Know?

A Quarter Cask typically holds only around 100 litres, compared to a standard hogshead's 250 — the much larger surface area relative to volume is why maturation moves faster and hits harder.

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The name refers to the Spanish bodega where the sherry casks live before they travel to Arran and are filled with new whisky.

Seven years in a 250-litre sherry hogshead gives this release a surprising depth for its age.

Expert Description

Arran The Bodega Sherry Cask is a Single Islands Malt Whisky matured in a 250-litre sherry hogshead for a minimum of 7 years, bottled at 55.8%.

The cask size gives more contact between whisky and wood than a standard cask, speeding up maturation and explaining why a relatively young whisky like this one still achieves a clear sherry character. The whisky is bottled non-chill filtered and with natural colour.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Clear sherry character with dried fruit and a light nutty tone.

Palate

Rich and spiced, carried by the sherry cask's power.

Finish

Medium length and warming.

Specifications

Name: Arran The Bodega Sherry Cask
Distillery: Arran
Region/Country: Isle of Arran, Scotland
Type: Single Islands Malt Whisky
Age: 7 years
ABV: 55.8%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 250-litre sherry hogshead
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
EAN no.: 5060044483776
Serving suggestion: With a few drops of spring water

Flavour Profile

Sherry-matured · Spiced · Nutty · Full-bodied

Did You Know?

A 250-litre hogshead is smaller than a standard butt but larger than a Quarter Cask — that medium size is part of why this 7-year-old reaches a depth normally associated with older whisky.

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On Arran's west coast lies a windswept peat moor called Machrie Moor. Legend says the warrior Fingal tied his dog to a stone here — and the distillery named its peated whisky after the place.

A different side of Arran, where the familiar citrus character meets peat smoke.

Expert Description

Arran Machrie Moor is a Single Islands Malt Scotch Whisky made from lightly peated malt and bottled at 56.2%.

Since 2004, Arran has distilled a small amount of malt peated to around 20 ppm every year — a medium smoke level that offers more than just bonfire and tar. Machrie Moor has become a permanent part of Arran's range, bottled at cask strength, non-chill filtered and with natural colour, put together by the distillery's manager James MacTaggart.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Peat smoke and ash meet an underlying sweetness and a lightly salted coastal aroma.

Palate

Smoky yet balanced, with Arran's classic citrus note shining through.

Finish

Medium length with lingering smoke and a dry, spiced close.

Specifications

Name: Arran Machrie Moor
Distillery: Arran
Region/Country: Isle of Arran, Scotland
Type: Single Islands Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 56.2%
Size: 70 CL
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
EAN no.: 5060044482793
Serving suggestion: In a Glencairn glass, a drop of water helps open the smoke

Flavour Profile

Peated · Coastal · Citrus-forward · Spiced

Did You Know?

The name Machrie Moor comes from a peat moor on Arran's west coast with Bronze Age stone circles, one of which has a carved hole said to be where the warrior Fingal tied his dog.

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The Highland Park Appreciation Society is not a club you wander into by chance. Its members have followed the distillery for years, and in 2016 they were allowed to point at one single cask in the warehouses at Kirkwall. They chose a sherry butt filled in 2003. It gave 576 bottles, and then the cask was empty.

The expert's description

Highland Park HPAS 13 Year Old Single Orkney Malt Whisky 59.1% is a Single Orkney Malt Whisky drawn from one refill sherry butt, cask #2115, bottled undiluted at its cask strength of 59.1%.

HPAS stands for the Highland Park Appreciation Society, the society for the distillery's most committed followers. The bottling belongs to Highland Park's Single Cask Series, where one cask is emptied and sold as it stands, and this particular cask was picked for the society. The spirit went into wood in 2003 and into glass in 2016.

A butt is among the largest casks in Scottish maturation at around 500 litres, and a refill cask has held whisky before. It gives up colour and wood more slowly, so after thirteen years the distillery character still leads, with the dried fruit of sherry framing it rather than covering it. The cask yielded 576 bottles.

Cask strength makes this a dense dram. Everything the wood handed over sits in the glass without a drop of water, and the smoke from Highland Park's own peated malt has far more room than in the core range.

Tasting notes

Nose

Raisins, dark orange marmalade and toasted malt. Below sits a dry, sooty peat smoke and a note of leather. The alcohol prickles for the first few seconds and settles after a couple of minutes in the glass.

Palate

Thick and oily. Dates, dark chocolate and clove, then a clear edge of pepper and a smoke that tastes of hearth ash rather than tar.

Finish

Long and warm. The dried fruit of the sherry hangs on, the spice tightens, and a dry, salty note closes the whole thing.

Specifications

Name: Highland Park HPAS 13 Year Old Single Orkney Malt Whisky 59.1%
Distillery: Highland Park
Region/Country: Orkney, Scotland
Type: Single Orkney Malt Whisky
Age: 13 years
ABV: 59.1%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Refill Sherry Butt #2115
Distilled: 2003
Bottled: 2016
Number of bottles: 576
Edition: Highland Park Appreciation Society

Flavour profile

Smoky · Sherried · Spicy · Powerful

Investment potential

High. The whisky comes from one cask with an outturn of 576 bottles, it was bottled for a closed circle in 2016 and never reached open trade. Single casks from Highland Park at cask strength are among the releases collectors track most closely, and an empty cask cannot be refilled.

Did you know?

The rise the distillery stands on is called High Park, and it is linked to Magnus Eunson, a church officer who by local account distilled illicitly at night and hid his casks beneath the pulpit. A licence for the site came only much later.

See our full range of Highland Park

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Scotland's national poet has lent his name to several whiskies over the years, but few carry as close a connection to whisky history as this Arran edition.

A tribute to Robert Burns in single malt form, from the distillery closest to his homeland.

Expert Description

Arran Robert Burns is a Single Islands Malt Whisky from the Lochranza distillery, bottled at 43%.

The bottle is named after Robert Burns, Scotland's most famous poet, and is meant as an accessible tribute to his legacy. The whisky shows Arran's bright, fruity house style without a specific age statement or cask number.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Light fruitiness with a trace of vanilla.

Palate

Soft and approachable with Arran's signature citrus tone.

Finish

Short to medium with a mild sweetness.

Specifications

Name: Arran Robert Burns
Distillery: Arran
Region/Country: Isle of Arran, Scotland
Type: Single Islands Malt Whisky
ABV: 43%
Size: 70 CL
EAN no.: 5060044482397
Serving suggestion: In a Glencairn glass at room temperature

Flavour Profile

Fruity · Soft · Citrus-forward · Light

Did You Know?

Robert Burns was born in Ayrshire, just a short sail from Arran — making the distillery's tribute to the poet more than just a name on the label.

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Cream and whisky sounds like a shortcut, but it is not when the whisky is actually good. Arran makes its own single malt at Lochranza and uses that rather than anonymous spirit, and you can taste it.

The Expert's Description

Arran Gold is a cream liqueur made with Single Island Malt Whisky from Arran, bottled at 17%. It is therefore not whisky but a cream-based liqueur in which the distillery’s own malt whisky forms the spirit component.

The difference from an ordinary cream liqueur lies precisely there. Most use neutral spirit or an anonymous blend, while Arran uses malt whisky from its own distillery. That gives a cereal sweetness and a light malt character beneath the toffee and chocolate which would otherwise disappear.

Arran Gold was named World’s Best Whisky Liqueur at Whisky Magazine’s World Whisky Awards in 2007. The distillery sits at Lochranza at the northern end of the Isle of Arran and was founded in 1995.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Toffee and milk chocolate first, with cocoa and a clear cream note. Beneath the sweetness sits a malty cereal note from the whisky, which makes the nose less one-dimensionally sweet than an ordinary cream liqueur.

Palate

Full and creamy. Caramel, chocolate and vanilla open, then the malt whisky comes through with a light cereal sweetness and a hint of oak. At 17% it is soft and easy to drink, but not thin.

Finish

Medium and creamy, with cocoa and a final malt note lingering after the sweetness.

Specifications

Name: Arran Gold Cream Liqueur with Single Island Malt Whisky 17%
Distillery: Arran
Region/Country: Isle of Arran, Scotland
Type: Cream Liqueur with Single Island Malt Whisky
ABV: 17%
Size: 70 CL
Edition: Arran Gold
EAN no.: 5060044480270
Serving suggestion: Serve chilled with coffee or over ice as a welcome drink

Flavour Profile

Creamy · Toffee · Chocolate · Sweet · Malty · Soft

Did You Know?

The Arran distillery at Lochranza was founded in 1995 and was the first legal distillery on the island in over a century and a half. Arran otherwise had a long history of illicit distilling, since the island’s remote bays were well suited to keeping the excise at arm’s length. Today the family also runs a second distillery, Lagg, at the southern end of the island.

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Eighteen years marks a milestone in Arran's core range — the oldest age-statement whisky the distillery offers as a standing release.

A combination of cask types that ends in a genuine sherry bomb.

Expert Description

Arran 18 Year Old is a Single Islands Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a combination of 1st and 2nd fill hogsheads and bourbon casks, bottled at 46%.

After the bulk of its maturation, the whisky is given a finish in 1st fill Oloroso sherry casks, giving it a marked depth and fullness. The result is one of Arran's most popular age-statement releases, bottled non-chill filtered and with natural colour.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Caramelised citrus and tropical fruit meet a backdrop of charred oak.

Palate

Deep sherry character with layers of dried fruit, spice and a full sweetness.

Finish

Long and warming with lingering sherry tones.

Specifications

Name: Arran 18 Year Old
Distillery: Arran
Region/Country: Isle of Arran, Scotland
Type: Single Islands Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 18 years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st and 2nd fill hogsheads and bourbon casks, finished in 1st fill Oloroso sherry casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
EAN no.: 5060044483073
Serving suggestion: In a Glencairn glass at room temperature

Flavour Profile

Sherry-matured · Fruity · Full-bodied · Spiced

Did You Know?

Arran 18 Year Old is the distillery's oldest permanent age-statement release — anything older typically comes from limited single cask releases, several of which also feature in this range.

See our full range of Arran