Cask Number: #2

Age: 18 years

ABV: 54.6%

Cask Type: Sherry Hogshead

Bottles: 111

Bottle Size: 700ml

92 points from Whisky Advocate's Julia Higgins:

There’s a low-tide earthy air about this independently bottled single malt. It has a delectable salinity to it, made all the better by a faint sweet scent lurking in the background. The palate is velvety and coats the mouth with flavors of vanilla frosting, dried apricot, lemon meringue pie, and peppery spice. More vanilla and lovely lemon fruit on the finish—there’s a mouthwatering array of flavors from top to bottom.

Our tasting notes:

Nose:  Barley and a cool sea breeze

Palate: Sugar, honey and vanilla 

Finish: The unmistakable sweetness of a juicy ripe mango 

Goes down like Southern sweet tea. We'd swear there's a teaspoon of sugar in there—if we didn't know better. No caramel color, no additives. Ever. That’s the Creetown promise.

Natural color, non-chill filtered.

Reviews from Real Scotch Drinkers

By Chris Browne AKA the Islay Enthusiast

𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐑: Pale gold

𝐍𝐎𝐒𝐄: Right up front is a drier Sherry wine grape note and spices. Aromas of honey, confectionery sugar, honeydew melon. 

𝐏𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄: You get sweet and tart combined. Lots of honey up front, white grape juice and orange citrus, followed shortly afterwards by a dryness you experience with a Fino or Manzanilla sherry wine flavors. Sherry wines offer a very wide variety of flavors, along with being some of the driest to the sweetest wines in the world.

𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒: I really enjoy this whisky! One of the things that I love about Scotch Whisky is the huge range of flavors it has to offer with all the different high quality casks that are used for maturation. I love and appreciate all types of Sherry wine. This whisky does a great job of offering you another version of a Sherry wine cask matured whisky that showcases a whisky untypical of what’s on the mainstream market.

About Lochranza Distillery

Established in 1995, the Lochranza Distillery on the Isle of Arran is one of Scotland’s youngest distilleries but not so young that its name and whisky are not recognized and appreciated in the whisky world. A short ferry ride from the Kintyre peninsula, the Lochranza Distillery is located in the town of the same name on the most northern tip of the island. There is much confusion in the distillery’s region – it’s a short jump from Campbeltown but also not far from the Lowlands region. Or is it an island whisky? Technically, it’s none of the above, it’s classified as Highland distillery because of its locale on the north part of the isle.

The Lochranza Distillery and its neighbor on the south of the isle, the Lagg Distillery are both owned by the Isle of Arran Distillers Limited, an independent and privately held company. Sometimes still referred to Arran Distillery, its original name, the distillery was renamed to Lochranza when the second distillery at Lagg opened since there were now two distilleries on the island.

Established by Harold Currie, a former managing director at Chivas Brothers, the distillery was financed by issuing ‘Founder’s Bonds’ to 2,500 lucky investors. Instead of a normal return of principal plus interest to the investors, each received 10 cases of Arran whisky (five in 1998 and five in 2001) for just 450 GBP. At well under 10 GBP/bottle that sounds like a great investment to us! Shortly after the distillery opened, the late Queen Elizabeth officially opened the visitor center and was presented two casks for two chaps named William and Harry.  Surprisingly, the royals have never collected the casks which are still under a watchful eye in Warehouse 1.

The distillery’s water source, Loch Na Davie, passes through six natural waterfalls before reaching the distillery. Inside, its shiny Forsyth stills have wide, round bottoms with long necks. The fermentation is long – 75 hours, producing a clear wort with aromas of apples, and citrus fruits. This 18 year old Arran is a lovely dram with floral aromas and a mouthful of fruit.