Arran Quarter Cask "The Bothy"

Note: This is from the Really Good Whisky Company Advent Calendar. I'm also tasting these whiskies blind, providing notes on the nose, palate, and finish before revealing details like proof and cask type. I'll make some guesses about these aspects and see how accurate they are. Cheers! Nose: Definitely Scotch – honeyed, toasted grains with cracked black pepper. Clearly all malt, no grain whisky detected. Green tea. There's a subtle hint of smoke, leading me to guess it's lightly peated, similar to an Orkney. It has a pleasant, moderate richness and density. Coffee grounds, vanilla, and fennel suggest significant oak influence. Also getting ripe berries with a touch of balsamic vinegar. A bright note leads me to estimate around 48% ABV. New leather. Not bad. Palate: This one is quite intense! Revising my guess to around 55% ABV (I might be totally off here). Honey, oak, brown sugar, vanilla, cereal grain. Green bananas and green tea. Menthol and eucalyptus. Hot cinnamon, warming nutmeg, and cocoa. A slight floral, perfumed character. It doesn't taste very aged, but there's a high level of oak. I suspect charred new oak or a smaller cask, similar to the Octaves tasted recently. I wonder if this contributes to the heat. A slightly vegetal green bell pepper note appears at the back. Again, faint wisps of smoke and what I believe is phenol are present from start to finish. It's relatively balanced, though the mid-palate is most prominent. Medium mouthfeel. Finish: A bright flash of tea, ethanol, and fennel. Honey and vanilla mingle, followed by the grain character. It then shifts to mint and menthol as the smoke reappears. A consistent oak note is present throughout. It fades slowly with notes of black tea, vanilla, berries, and cream. Solid oil content contributes to this medium-long finish. Other notes: I enjoyed this one. This specific expression was aged for 7 years in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels, then transferred to quarter casks for an additional 2 years before being bottled at 56.2%. It's unpeated, which I got wrong. I'm going to guess the high oak level, barrel char, and high proof are what misled me – I recently read about the oak/peat paradox. My cask guess was quite close; it wasn't one or the other, but both! The age is unsurprising, as there's no lingering 'new-make' character often found in very young single malts. Overall, I'm quite pleased with my assessment here, especially the proof call. I also enjoyed this whisky considerably, which makes sense as high-proof spirits are usually my preference. Until next time, cheers!

Nose (neat): Unexpressive and tight, with woody barrel scents and malt, but very subdued. A hint of honey and butter is present but overwhelmed by the alcohol. With time, more notes emerge, including lemon and grassy qualities. Nose (diluted): Water unlocks notes of new wood, freshly cut hay, sunflower oil, lemon zest, pineapple, and subtle honey, yet the aroma remains very reserved. The spirit improves the longer it sits in the glass. Palate (neat): Sweet, fruity, and substantial, but it still feels very constricted. Hints of banana and coconut, plus a little white pepper. Palate (diluted): Dilution truly transforms the palate, causing the entire experience to blossom and expand instantly. However, it retains a very fresh, crisp malt character. Sweet citrus, coconut, honey, malt, tropical fruit, cereal, almond, and cream are noted. The texture becomes fuller, gaining more weight as it rests after watering. Finish (neat): Medium to long. Sweet malt flavors with a lingering sweetness like barley sugar. When diluted, the finish doesn't change much, except it becomes a bit drier with a touch of salinity. With rest, the finish lengthens considerably, featuring fresh, sweet citrus and orchard fruit in the aftertaste. This was before Arran's major rebranding around 2020. They used to offer an expression called The Bothy, also matured in quarter casks, but it was darker, more flavorful, and richer than this one. When The Bothy was discontinued, I managed to acquire three bottles of the old Batch 2, and I'm pleased to have them. This isn't to criticize this whisky; quite the opposite, it's a very enjoyable spirit, both undiluted and with water. I found it most pleasing with dilution, which I felt softened, revealed, and enhanced all its aspects. This isn't unexpected, as I generally prefer my whisky below 50% ABV, but it was especially true here. I also happily observed that this becomes spectacularly cloudy when water is added, just like the old Bothy expression. It's great to see that Arran continues to give their spirits only the lightest of barrier filtration and no chill-filtration. When adding water, always wait for the 'mist' to appear to experience the precipitated oils at their peak. If you don't see it, you haven't used enough water – add more. The whisky can handle it, and the cloudiness is one of the highlights of this expression. Tasted from a generous sample provided by a friend. "Very Good": 85/100 (4 stars) – only 2 percentage points and a quarter star below the old expression.

Nose - The aroma is soft and youthful. Numerous sweet elements are present, such as vanilla, coconut, butterscotch, and honey. These sweet notes are complemented by various fruits, including roasted apple, pineapple, pear, grapes, and raisins. Palate - As this expression is bottled at cask strength, the initial sips were quite intense. It becomes much more approachable with a few drops of water. Similar to the aroma, the sweet and sour elements were most dominant as the dram had time to open up. Finish - This is where the youthfulness of this whisky is most apparent. A deliciously long and sweet finish that isn't overly complex. This distillery continues to impress with this excellent expression. This is a whisky that I would strongly suggest to individuals wanting to explore cask strength versions of their preferred malt brands without spending a lot. "Enjoyable": 3.75 stars | Well above average.

On the nose, the tropical notes are present but amplified. Pineapple, coconut, vanilla, lotion for sunburnt skin, cake frosting. After an initial taste, the aroma shifted to Tylenol and red fruits. On the palate, there are fewer than five tasting notes, but they are excellent. It tastes exactly like a cherry topping over a creamy "dulce de 3 leches". Chocolate, vanilla. Maraschino cherries. Extremely sweet. The aftertaste was very spicy and pleasant. A wasabi explosion. Vanilla, dulce de leche, salt, and sulfur. Metallic notes. Rum and raisins. Overall, this is a very good single malt, difficult to surpass at its price point, which is not expensive at all. A great aroma is followed by a very sweet palate and a spicy finish. I truly believe this is an offering that will always bring satisfaction. My score is 90 out of 100.

Nose: malt and butteriness, slightly subdued from the 10. The cask strength is evident, but not harsh. Instead, the aroma is perhaps more delicate than the 10, with coconut and woody spice clearly resulting from the two years in quarter casks. A lovely brightness, reminiscent of cut hay and citrus spray, is present. I might be mistaken, but do I detect rum and raisin ice cream? Delightful. P: Wow! It's thick and rich, brimming with coconut and nuttiness, alongside pepper, milk chocolate, and some stone fruits. Flavors emerge in a revealing wave, offering plenty to contemplate and a refreshing menthol clarity. F: A lingering warmth of ginger and cinnamon, with a drying astringency. To me, this drinks like a slightly more delicate yet impactful version of Arran 10. The fundamental flavors and textures are present in this NAS quarter cask, but with a more balanced emphasis on the spirit and the wood. Comparatively, the Arran 10 leans more towards a spirit focus, at least to my amateur palate. When tasted side-by-side with the Arran 10, the Bothy also appears noticeably lighter in color. I forgot to mention, adding water didn't do much for me. The ginger softens and comes right to the forefront, perhaps with a hint of canned pineapple, but I seem to find that Arrans are best enjoyed as nature intended, straight from the bottle without any modification. Whisky tasting #45

Bottled at natural cask strength - 56.2% ABV, without chill filtration, and with its natural color. On the nose: lime, fruit, and honey. On the palate: coconut, almonds, vanilla, oak, and pineapple. On the finish: medium length, featuring spices, vanilla, and cinnamon. When diluted: On the nose: considerably more fruit notes, pineapple, tropical fruits, and rich apples appear. On the palate: apples, spices, vanilla, tropical fruits, and bubblegum are present. On the finish: medium-long, with cinnamon and fresh cherries. This is a delightful pour from Arran, aged for seven years in former bourbon barrels, then an additional two years in quarter casks. It drinks well either neat or with a bit of water, though I feel water truly enhances it. The price offers great value, costing only 5-10 dollars more than the 10-year-old expression. This might be an unusual take, but while I appreciate the Arran 10 Year Old, it feels like something is missing for my palate. This quarter cask version delivers all the same flavor elements as the 10 Year Old but amplifies them significantly, resolving any sense of deficiency I experienced. Alongside the Arran Port Cask, this could easily become my regular Arran choice.