Arran Sherry Cask

The Bodega was introduced to the Arran core range in autumn 2019 as part of the rebrand that coincided with the opening of Lagg distillery for peated production. The name references a sherry bodega, the producer of the seasoning wine that informs the cask character. Master Distiller James MacTaggart worked directly with sherry producers in Jerez to select hogsheads previously used for oloroso maturation, mirroring the cask style that defined many of the original 1990s Arran limited releases before the distillery formalised its wood policy.

Spirit is matured for around seven years in first fill oloroso seasoned American oak hogsheads, a deliberate choice over European oak to align the cask intensity with the lighter house style of the Lochranza new make. Bottling is at the natural cask strength of 55.8% without chill filtration and without colouring. The result is the natural amber tone of unadulterated sherry cask maturation rather than the deep mahogany that European oak alone would produce.

The first fill oloroso seasoning delivers a concentrated load of melanoidins, furfural and sotolon developed through the oxidative oloroso maturation, alongside the polyphenols extracted from the original wine production. American oak as a substrate contributes its own vanillin and whisky lactones, giving the resulting whisky a structural backbone that European oak would not provide. The hemicellulose breakdown products give the dark caramel and toasted nut layer while the spirit retains its underlying Arran citric and stone fruit character. Flavour profile: dried fruit, chocolate, sherried, cooked fruit, old wood, vanilla.