Arran Brandy Cask

Brandy cask finishes formed part of the wide ranging experimental cask programme Arran pursued through its first decade of commercial release. With limited stocks of older spirit and a need to differentiate young whisky from competitors, the distillery filled and finished spirit in a wide range of secondary woods including brandy, Sauternes, Marsala, Madeira and Bordeaux. The Brandy Cask sits within that early period exploration, with the specific spirit origin of the original brandy varying by batch.

Primary maturation runs in first fill ex Bourbon American oak barrels at Lochranza, with the brandy cask finishing in secondary casks previously used for the maturation of French brandy, typically Cognac or Armagnac although the precise provenance varies. Bottled at 59.4% with no chill filtration and no added colour.

Brandy cask interaction delivers a distinctive layered residue in the oak. The original brandy was itself a long matured grape spirit, leaving behind ester compounds including ethyl decanoate, ethyl heptanoate and the heavier rancio derived compounds that develop in long aged Cognac. These integrate with the Bourbon underlay to produce a softer, dried apricot and orchard fruit register with a gentle drying spice from the secondary oak interaction.