Arran 18 Years Old 1996 Cask #1834 (Thompson’s)

This Thompson's selection draws on a Sauternes cask, with the casks having previously aged the noble rot affected dessert wine of the Sauternes commune in Bordeaux before being filled with the Arran spirit in 1996. Sauternes casks are less common in the indie bottling market than ex Bourbon or sherry wood, making this Thompson's selection one of the more distinctive cask choices in the Arran independent bottler catalogue. The 648 bottle outturn at eighteen years indicates a butt format cask rather than a smaller hogshead.

Spirit was distilled at Lochranza in 1996 and matured eighteen years in a single Sauternes seasoned cask. Bottled in 2014 at 52.9% without chill filtration and without added colour.

Sauternes cask residue carries a particular flavour signature derived from the botrytised dessert wine that previously occupied the cask. Sauternes wine is produced from grapes affected by Botrytis cinerea, the noble rot that concentrates sugars and develops distinctive aromatic compounds including sotolon, phenethyl acetate and elevated glycerol levels. Combined with the underlying Arran spirit signature from the 1996 distillation year, the cask produces a honeyed sweetness layered with stone fruit and floral apricot notes. Flavour tag: sherried.