Arran Machrie Moor Cask Strength 3rd Edition (2016 Release)

Nose: Smoke and peat, pine resin. Faint floral and fruity notes are way down deep. It's a somehow distant, very dry and ethereal nose. Palate: Taken neat, the arrival is dry and spicy, followed by intense alcohol heat. Suddenly, a burst of fruity flavors – grapefruit, lemon, pineapple, cranberries, goji berries – appears from nowhere, but fades just as quickly. It's one of the most fleeting developments I've ever experienced. A subtle background smokiness is present throughout. Finish: Medium, with a lingering astringent and hot sweetness accompanied by some oak tannin. The aromas and flavors of this whisky are reserved, distant, and tightly locked by the high alcohol content. It has a fruity and lightly smoky character overall, but the fruitiness is dry rather than sweet. When taken neat, it's most enjoyable about 5 minutes after finishing the dram, once the palate has relaxed from the alcohol shock and the after-echoes reveal its full character. When diluted to under 50% ABV, it becomes much more approachable, but there's a fine line between taming the high alcohol and washing out the delicate character. If adding water, do so very slowly, drop by drop, and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. A curious malt that is almost, but not quite, immensely satisfying. I can't help but feel it was bottled at too high a strength for such a delicate and subtle whisky, and I prefer the non-cask strength versions, which seem more balanced and complete. It's also one of the most natural presentations of a whisky I've encountered. Add a couple of drops of water, and within moments, a thick mist arises in the spirit – it must be brimming with heavy oils and has undergone only the most cursory filtration. Yay! 'Good': 83/100 (3.5 stars).

I previously tried the standard 46% ABV version of this whisky and enjoyed it so much that it disappeared quickly. This led me to be particularly interested in the cask strength version. On the nose, classic peat is present alongside great fruitiness. As a fan of this distillery's usually unpeated releases, I detect a familiar fruit-wood-spice combination that eventually pushes the peat into the background after some time. The 56.2% ABV is barely noticeable. Notes of sweet cookies, gooseberry jam, salty butter, cold herbal tea with peppermint, and apple sauce are on the nose. The palate hits intensely with the high ABV and cold peat right away, then becomes acidic like lemon peel before slowly turning sweeter. The finish is somewhat like cold bread that was roasted on a barbecue the previous day. Interestingly, this cask strength version isn't as good as the regular 46% version. Adding some water makes it much more approachable, bringing out fresh orchard fruits, black pepper, and a more mellow overall character. It's certainly interesting and shows that this distillery also understands peated whisky. I'm eagerly anticipating some of their peated sherry expressions, including limited releases and an exclusive bottling. I'm also looking forward to the first official releases from the new peat-focused distillery on the island. Exciting developments are happening there.

This is an interesting dram. It tastes like a grain whiskey in some ways. The alcohol is strong. The flavors - vanilla, floral, a touch of spice - arrive quickly and all at once, then fade as the alcohol takes over. I haven't tried the non-cask version, but I'd like to. I suspect this is one case where the lower ABV would allow the flavors to develop better. The smoke is lovely, though.

Really fresh peat notes. The sting of the 58% is definitely felt. Smells sweet like teriyaki beef jerky. Behind the alcohol burn there is a lovely full underlying sweetness of red apples, grass, dried plum, and pure chocolate. The finish is surprisingly short with a little odd bitterness like orange pith and overextracted coffee.

I favored the Caol Ila with a Moscatel finish. This one is an intriguing dram; you experience an intense, sweet peat impact initially, which then vanishes, followed by a rush of ethanol that washes away the flavor, leaving a prolonged warming sensation and then an odd pear taste on the middle of the tongue. Interesting, but not a strong preference.

Nose: Vegetal, natural, sour or green apple, lime, burning cedar, latex. Taste: Grass, zingy, tart, green apple, damp beach or campfire, damp. Finish: Grass, long and pleasant. Big green apple flavor.