Arran Signature Series Edition 2, Barrel Bonfire

The Signature Series is Arran's four-part limited-edition series. It is a selection of Arran Single Malts which showcases the diversity of their spirit and embodies the values which are important to them. It features four unique bottlings specially chosen by Lochranza Distillery Manager Stewart Bowman and given his seal of approval.

With this bottling, they invite you to learn about the more heavily peated side of Arran matured in a Bourbon Barrel. The peated level of this bottling sits at 42ppm.

The Quarter Casks used in this bottling were sourced from a small distillery in Chicago – Koval - who use these custom built 115 litre casks to mature their Bourbon before they arrive with them in Lochranza.

The whisky in this bottling was originally filled into Bourbon Barrels in 2012. It was matured for nearly 5 and a half years, before being transferred into the Koval Quarter Casks in September 2018, where it spent the remaining 5 and a half years of its maturation time. They filled only a small number of these Quarter Casks and have not filled any more since. As such, they have a very rare place in their inventory.

Over the course of the secondary maturation, the intensity of the heavily peated whisky has taken on an even more complex and full-bodied character. The smaller the size of cask, the greater the surface contact area between the wood and the spirit, effectively creating an environment for ‘express’ maturation. The resulting whisky has the benefit of more intense flavours which add depth and greater nuance to the final dram. Smokier notes mingle with the well-loved charred citrus and sweet vanilla spices of Arran Single Malt, evoking a bonfire made from barrel staves.

Tasting notes:
Nose: Hazelnuts coated in caramel. Orange zest and abundant vanilla. Rich dry smoke.

Palate: Rich and smooth. Mouth-watering, oily and complex. Spicy, cinnamon notes mingle with citrus

Finish: Spice, Citrus, Smoke, Peat, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Smooth, Toasted Oak.