Machrie Moor is Arran's peated expression, named after the ancient peat bog on the island's west coast where Bronze Age stone circles still stand. It is the Lochranza distillery's answer to Islay — a peated single malt that uses the same stills and the same water source as the unpeated Arran range, but with heavily peated malt.
The peat level is approximately 20ppm — moderate by Islay standards but significant for an island distillery more associated with fruity, unpeated spirit. Matured in ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 46% without chill filtration, the specification is clean and lets the interplay between Arran's fruity spirit and the peat take centre stage.
The nose is gentle smoke over tropical fruit: peat, citrus, banana, vanilla, and a sweet malty character that is unmistakably Arran. The palate delivers more smoke — earthy peat, toffee, lemon, ginger — but the distillery's fruit-forward character persists beneath, creating a whisky that is both smoky and bright.
The finish is medium, with peat smoke and citrus lingering. Machrie Moor proves that Arran can do peat on its own terms — lighter and fruitier than Islay, more accessible than Ledaig, and with a character that is genuinely its own.
