Arran Private Cask 9 Years Old 2012

The 2012 vintage at Arran falls within the period when the distillery was approaching peak production capacity at Lochranza, ahead of the 2019 opening of Lagg distillery for peated production. Cask 2012/0867 was filled in 2012 and matured nine years before being bottled in 2021 for the Belgian market. The high natural cask strength of 61.1% suggests strong evaporative concentration during the nine year maturation, possibly reflecting cask position within the warehouse or specific wood character variation.

Spirit was distilled at Lochranza in 2012 and matured nine years in a single ex Bourbon American oak cask. Bottled in 2021 at the natural cask strength of 61.1% without chill filtration and without added colour, with the 219 bottle outturn reflecting the working yield after the concentrating maturation.

Nine years of ex Bourbon maturation at the higher cask strength produces a distinctly intense flavour profile, with the cask derived vanillin, whisky lactones and toasted sugar layer integrated against the underlying Arran spirit signature. The recorded flavour profile of citric, dried fruit, fresh fruit, new wood, oily and toasted captures the layered combination of fresh ester driven citric and stone fruit alongside the developing oak spice and the textural oiliness preserved by the high cask strength bottling.