Arran 21 Years Old

Arran 21 Years Old joined the core range in 2018, marking the maturation point at which spirit distilled during the distillery's earliest production runs had crossed the two decade mark. The casks for any 21 Year Old expression at Arran are drawn from the limited volume of new make produced between 1995 and 1997, before output scaled to current levels. The 2003 sale of Harold Currie's shareholding to a group of private investors led by Euan Mitchell brought new operational continuity, and the small inventory from those early years now sits behind every permanent older release at the distillery.

Maturation is conducted primarily in first fill and refill ex Bourbon American oak barrels and hogsheads, with sherry cask influence in a supporting role for this expression. Bottled at 46% with no chill filtration and no added colour, the spirit carries forward the full character of its 21 year cask interaction. The ABV reflects post evaporation cask strength reduction held at a level that retains the heavier ester fraction.

Two decades plus of slow extraction produces a deep accumulation of oak lignin degradation products: vanillin, syringaldehyde and coniferyl aldehyde from breakdown of lignin macromolecules, alongside furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural from hemicellulose hydrolysis. The long maturation also drives slow oxidation of the spirit, converting heavier esters into longer chain compounds that read on the palate as cooked rather than fresh fruit. Flavour profile: cooked fruit, dried fruit, honey, sherried, citric, fresh fruit.