(한국어 시음기 밑에 있어요!)
Over the past few decades, new distilleries have sprung up across Scotland as the Scotch whisky industry entered a golden age at the turn of the 21st century after an uhhh....testing(?) 20th century that saw the industry smash full speed into a brick wall in the first half and then make a recovery in the latter half. One of the key players in this new generation of upstart younglings was the Lochranza distillery of Arran. Opening in 1995, this distillery was effectively a trailblazer for all that followed.
Lochranza actually celebrated their 25th anniversary yesterday, so I thought that it would be fitting to review of one of their flagship products in celebration of this achievement! The Arran 10 is largely matured in second fill sherry casks, with some bourbon cask and first fill sherry influence and is sold non-coloured and un-chillfiltered. Pretty good for what is considered to be an entry level single malt.
Vitals:
ABV: 46%
Colour: Dark gold
Chill-filtered: No
Nose: A fruity initial burst of cherries, pineapple and almonds hits the nostrils, before slowly ceding the field to rising notes of black pepper, oak and vanilla as the barrel influence comes through. Those bourbon like notes are then overtaken by dark chocolate, candied orange, sherried raisins and sea salt. Behind all of this, lies a strong malted barley presence that remains throughout the nose. 20/25
Palate: Spicy at first with a relatively intense barrage of red peppers, but as the spice fades, it opens up into malted barley and cherries with a touch of salt and vanilla sugar sprinkled over them. Those fruit and malt notes morph into milk chocolate with an ever so salty touch and rich brown sugar, reminding me of salted caramel filled chocolate bonbons. Finally, notes of pineapple are drawn out as the whisky begins to draw to its end 23/25
Finish: Moderate length and strongly reminiscent of chocolate covered pineapples. Slightly sour, but sweet. 19/25
Value*: About average for an entry level age-statement single malt in Korea. Not exactly cheap, but you are getting a 46% non-chillfiltered whisky for it. You could do far, far worse. 14/25
Conclusion:
Heavier and more fullbodied than I thought it would be, with a relatively complex character. It is a tad overly spicy at first, but it does get smoother as you drink it. What I liked about it was the interesting tropical notes it gives off despite being a product of the rainy and cold west of Scotland. Pineapples in the Firth of Clyde? Who'd have thought it?
Basic Rating: 82.7%
Price Adjusted Rating*: 76%
Daily Drinker: No, but I could see it being a weekly drinker.
Possible pairing: A creamy cheese like Gouda would go well with the spicy character of this dram
Where to find in Korea: Namdaemun, Jurashop
TLDR Version:
N: Cherries, pineapple and almonds → pepper, oak, vanilla and barley → chocolate, sherry, salt and pepper. Spicy.
P: red peppers → malted barley, vanilla, cherries, salt → milk chocolate, brown sugar → dried pineapple.
F: Medium length. Chocolate coated pineapples, slightly sour but sweet.
V: About what you would expect for an age statement single malt in Korea
C: Heavier and more fullbodied than I thought it would be, with a very complex character. It is a
bit too spicy at first, but it does get better as you drink it.
한국어 시음평:
N: 체리, 파인애플, 아몬드 → 후추, 바닐라, 보리, 오크통 → 초콜릿, 쉐리, 소금, 고춧가루 (노즈가 상당히 매콤합니다)
P : 고춧가루, 맥아보리, 바닐라, 체리, 약간의 소금 → 밀크 초콜릿, 흑설탕 → 말린 파인애플
F: 피니시가 길고 좋습니다. 초콜릿을 입힌 파인애플 같네요. 약간 시큼하면서도 달콤합니다.
C: 생각했던 것보다 바디감이 있고 묵직한 위스키입니다. 맛이 상당히 복합적이네요. 노즈부터 시작해서 첫 맛은 꽤 매콤했는데 마실수록 감칠맛이 돕니다.
Buy / Mooch / Pass: Buy.
Review by Glasgowhisky
2020/06/30
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