When the Isle of Arran distillery fired its stills at Lochranza in 1995, the venture was an act of faith. It was the first legal distillery on Arran in more than 150 years, the line of descent from the illicit stills of the Glen of Lochranza having long since gone cold. The 21 Year Old, released as part of the core range, is the fruit of that founding patience.
The whisky is drawn from a marriage of sherry hogsheads and ex-bourbon barrels, laid down in the early years of the distillery's life and matured in warehouses that sit almost within spray distance of Kilbrannan Sound. Bottled at 46% ABV, non chill-filtered and without colouring, it reflects the house style: clean, fruit-forward, and disinclined to hide behind oak.
On the nose there is orange peel and almond, beeswax and a faint saline thread. The palate is richer than Arran's younger expressions, with dried fig, sultana and cinnamon giving way to dark honey and a restrained grip of tannin. The finish carries cocoa and clove, and a whisper of the citrus that has become something of a distillery signature.
For a distillery that only began selling mature spirit in the 2010s, a 21 Year Old was a statement: proof that the island could deliver age as well as youthful vigour. It rewards the unhurried dram.
