The reason for the delay is I foolishly wanted to take a stab at doing a YouTube review. In short, it didn’t go well. Now I was still a noob (still am) to the full extent of the world wide whisky world then but it seemed to be one of the few rebrands to be accepted with open arms. Impressive considering every logo revamp now are targets to be bashed and beaten down by Dribbble based designers. Amid closures and overproduction, you’d think the last thing any investor would do would be to open a new whisky distillery in Scotland, never mind opening one on the Isle of Arran. At this stage in the 1990s, no one really anticipated the boom we are currently experiencing.

There is a slight initial hit (for me this hit lasts less than a half second) of seaweed, smoke and salt before the nose settles and becomes fruity (pear-like), with a vanilla sweetness, and the only part of the initial moment that remains is the salt. I keep sniffing again and again just to make sure that I'm not just imagining that first seaside hit - but it is there every time. Intriguing. The finish is again white fruits with spices and stays with you until the next mouthful. Which could wait, but won't: the stuff is moorish. As in "I want moore". Happily, I have not noticed much difference in a few-months aged sample. If anything, the flavors have just intensified. The nose is malty and sweet on mostly citrus and clear hints of fresh woodshavings. Quite sharp, in all honesty. After a few moments it settles down and offers hints of apple, melon and soft toffee and… errr… whipped cream.As, a side notes, ! played master blender with it and some BeenRiach Arumaticus Fumosus, and: WOW! Though weird that it's the speysider that lends the peat to the islander here. It reminded me of a young talisker. By Country Mixed Country Blend (16) Antigua (1) Bahamas (1) Barbados (24) Bermuda (2) Brazil (3) Dominican Republic (9) Fiji (4) Grenada (3) Guadelope (1) Guatemala (3) Guyana (15) Haiti (2) Jamaica (41) Japan (1) Martinique (25) Mauritius (2) Mexico (1) Nicaragua (3) Panama (5) Puerto Rico (8) Scotland (19) St Lucia (16) The Netherlands (1) Trinidad (11) Venezuela (4)

I strongly recommend you visit Ralfy's Vlog on youtube. His review of this scotch is on the nose.(no pun intended) Arran 10yo is a medium-bodied, citrussy dram that shows an elegance and deftness of touch that belies the distillery’s youth. Bought a bottleof the Arran 10 yr a little over a year ago...Thought it was alright, but certainly not worthy of Ralfy's score of 89. In the mouth: Pear drops on initial sip. Glorious mouthfeel and grip coming from the ABV. Dense vanilla and honey. The middle of the sip contains a biscuity and roasted malt note. There are sliced green apples and to me, a swell of orange rind as it rounds off. The finish is quite long. That citrus blast remains, with those malty elements and a hint of floral too. Some spice on the finish, I’d say cinnamon and a little ginger; more specifically: ginger nut biscuits. Conclusions: The finish is medium long, remains spicy and offers some fruit before fading on vanilla and some lime.Fully matured in 1st fill Bourbon Casks for 10 years and bottled at 46%, without chill filtration or added colouring, this new peated Arran Single Malt displays all the freshness of our island house style, with an added puff of smoke and earthiness, offering a warm gold coloured whisky with a peating level of 20ppm.