TT Tweet-Tasting: Arran #10DramGoodYears

Heute fand ein spezielles Tasting bei Twitter („Tweet Tasting“) von Arran statt. Es ging dabei um die  James MacTaggart Anniversary Abfüllung. 20 Teilnehmer haben diese heute probiert und ich teile hier unsere gemeinsamen Eindrücke mit Euch.

• Arran,  James MacTaggart Anniversary, ncf, nca, CS, 54.2%, 12.000 Flaschen, UVP 65.- GBP (ca. 70.- EUR)

ncf = no chill-filtration (keine Kältefiltration), nca = no color added (ohne Zusatz von Zuckerkulör), CS = Cask Strength (Fassstärke)

Zur Abfüllung

Aus der PM: „This fresh and vibrant expression of The Arran Malt has been carefully blended by James from a selection of first fill Bourbon Barrels from his first months of production in 2007.“

Original Tasting Notes

• Nose: A fresh nose with notes of salt combine with lemon oil, pairing the coast of Lochranza with the iconic citrus notes of the Arran Malt.
• Palate: The palate runs over with the immediate warmth of white pepper which softens as boiled sweets and apple pastries start to show.
• Finish: The lengthy finish sweetens further to candy floss as it fades away with the freshness of a well-made whisky-sour cocktail. This is a delightful expression of Arran Whisky where the true character and complexity shines through beautifully.

James äußerte sich in der Pressemitteilung: “The last 10 years have been very special for the distillery. We’ve released our oldest age statements, including the 18 Year Old which was a real coming of age for Arran. One of the great pleasures of my job is crafting unique bottlings inspired by the island and its history – a history that I’m proud to be part of.”

Und auch Euan Mitchell, Managing Director der Isle of Arran Distillers: “James is a man dedicated to traditional whisky making, but with an eye to the sensibilities of the modern whisky drinker, he’s been instrumental in establishing the quality reputation of the Arran Malt and opening scotch up to a new generation of fans. This bottling is a fantastic way to pay tribute to the influence James has had on the Arran Malt and to give the Arran community a chance to own a piece of distillery history. We hope people will join us in raising a dram to a great man and a fantastic Master Distiller.”

Zum TT (Tweet Tasting)

Arran hat Proben an 10 „White Stags“ (Fanprogramm von Arran) und 8 Blogger/Autoren im Vorfeld versendet. Jaclyn McKie, Marketing Managerin von Arran, hat uns dann über Twitter und dem Hashtag #10DramGoodYears durch den Abend geführt. Wenn Ihr nach diesem Hashtag bei Twitter sucht, werdet Ihr die Kommentare und Unterhaltungen des Abends finden.

Das Tweet Tasting war in englisch. Ich habe Euch hier mal einige Tasting Notes der Beteiligten zusammengetragen:

Nose

• Can I state the obvious? The fresh bourbon barrels. Lots of vanilla, butter. Just love it
• mmm salted caramel custard on the nose!!!! Smells AWESOME
• sliced Lemons and pineapple on the nose. A candy shop like smell. Beautiful. Symbolic of a great Arran Whisky
• nose.. soft fresh fruits wrapped in a coat of white chocolate, rich honey, cinnamon, digestive
• biscuits and butterscotch.. my senses are on overdrive !!
• Very sweet, toffee, caramel and also hints of almonds and citrus
• light and vibrant with a welcoming glow
• a lot to discover indeed …. my nose is spoiled!
• Some awesome notes coming off the nose immediately – absolute sweetness, showcasing our new spirit character
• Lot’s of vanilla. Getting sweeter and sweeter…
• Heck yes! I’m totally getting that coconut water element in the nose too, hadn’t picked that out before but it’s gorgeous
• Lots of good coconut coming through the longer it sits
• Lemon citrus burst, Pineapple juice, guava, vanilla accompanied by a coastal breeze and a dash of spice
• Vanilla, Toffee, butter, faint coconut, candied pineapple, orange oil, barley sugar… the list goes on
• Mouth is watering just from the nose, intensely fruity pineapple, apple peel, tarte tatin and a soft spice at the end
• Still nosing this phenomenal dram! Just been hit with a glorious condensed milk note. An Aladdin’s cave of nosing notes
• I close my eyes and can smell the sea air. I taste the Arran freshness and live the dream. Perfection, well done James

Taste

• James is a true magician. This is building into one hell of a stunning dram
• Some great observations coming out here, complex without being overly heavy, flexible and accessible on nose & palate
• Getting barley right up front supported by lemon zest, rich biscuit, honey, melon and mangoes. yum!
• Just taken my first sip and the grin on my face widened considerably
• wow! Get most of the nose on the palate. Sweet vanilla, very complex, pineapple, lemon, honey
• That sour note is really appetising. Getting a bit of a creamy hobnob biscuit taste then develops to a sour citrus note
• The juciness is magnificent, really creamy, zesty, that familiar white pepper warmth.
• absolutely. The magic of this dram is going to be something Arran fans talk about for years
• Its a spice bomb.. wonderful spice balanced out with sweetness, fruit and soft oak.. complex and plenty of depth..
• Upside down cake for sure.. The palate is creamy, complex, pineapple. It gives me a lot of pleasure! Wow, a bomb!
• I wouldn’t call it a bomb. Too delicate and balanced for that. But sure there’s a a nice spiciness
• agree on the white pepper, gives almost a slight sourness which is washed by the fruit
• I think these casks beautifully showcase the Arran spirit without being dominated by wood
• the oak is stunning. Not over powerful but taking you by the hand for a gentle walk along the shore
• creamy texture, white pepper, lemon curd w/meringue, Victoria sponge, candied peel & pineapple cubes

Finish

• The sweetness slowly fades, but the little peppery spice stays for a nice long time
• The finish, reminds me of a good song, you want to hear it over and over again. Smell and taste it over and over again
• the finish is nice and long and just slowly evolves from the spices to soft oak and fruits and leaves you wanting more !!
• Actually really agree…the white pepper persists in the finish, and water actually works well with that complexity

Weitere Informationen

Jaclyn hat uns noch ein paar Details zur Abfüllung während des Tastings verraten:

• For this bottling he took 48 Bourbon Barrels from his first months of production with us back in 2007.
• It is also a good example of why we never add colouring, the casks do all the work for us, no need to falsify!
• Our new spirit is inherently fruity, & Bourbon barrel takes that and adds a layer of toffee sweetness, really compliments
• The original barrels came from Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, Heaven Hill & Buffalo Trace
• It’s a reasonably low abv for a 10yo natural cask strength isn’t it?
• James is very pleased with this bottling, and is pretty happy that it has been brought to life to mark his anniversary
• Only 12,000 bottles of this one. Small allocation for our online shop and VC shop. Many more going to worldwide markets

Teilnehmer

Whisky Girl @Girl_Whisky, Sorren Krebs @ocdwhisky, John Nooijen @johnwcr, Whisky Restoration @whisky_antiques, Matt | The Dramble @thedramble, Jack Toye @jackabuss, JasonWhiskyWise @JasonVaswani, Peter Moser @MrSingleMalt, Del W @DerekWhiteford, Marc Castermans @MarcCastermans, Julie Brinklow @BrinklowJulie, Femke @Fmssie, Dieter Soons @Dieter_Soons, Fiona Bell @FionaMacWhisky, Dwayne Miller @Dm76Dwayne, little brown dog @_littlebrowndog, Anthony MacWhisky @AnthonyMacNeil, steven keir @keir87, Emely’s Whisky Shop @Arranatic63 und natürlich @Arranwhisky

Mein Fazit

Ein sehr schönes Online-Tasting mit einigen alten Bekannten und einigen neuen. Der Whisky ist sehr komplex, sehr vanille-betont – sowohl in der Nase, wie auch im Geschmack. Mir hat er sehr gut gefallen und einige Teilnehmer haben sich diese Flasche bereits auf ihre Weihnachtswunschliste gepackt. Im Arran Shop gibt es wenige Flaschen ab dem 16.10.17 und in den nächsten Wochen bei allen Händlern. Achtung: dieser Whisky ist zum Trinken, nicht zum Weiter-Verkaufen gemacht worden…..

Vielen Dank Jaclyn!