This whisky displays vibrant notes of banana, mango and papaya along with biscuity malt character and baking spices. On the palate there is a pronounced richness with notes of chocolate, coffee and cinnamon before finishing with a hint of stone fruit and black pepper.
Presenting….. The Signature Series Edition 2 – Barrel Bonfire
The Signature Series is our four-part limited-edition series. It is a selection of Arran Single Malts which showcases the diversity of our spirit and embodies the values which are important to us. It features four unique bottlings specially chosen by Lochranza Distillery Manager Stewart Bowman and given his seal of approval.
With this bottling, we invite you to learn about the more heavily peated side of Arran matured in a Bourbon Barrel. The peated level of this bottling sits at 42ppm.
The Quarter Casks used in this bottling were sourced from a small distillery in Chicago – Koval - who use these custom built 115 litre casks to mature their Bourbon before they arrive with us in Lochranza.
The whisky in this bottling was originally filled into Bourbon Barrels in 2012. It was matured for nearly 5 and a half years, before being transferred into the Koval Quarter Casks in September 2018, where it spent the remaining 5 and a half years of its maturation time. We filled only a small number of these Quarter Casks and have not filled any more since. As such, they have a very rare place in our inventory.
Over the course of the secondary maturation, the intensity of the heavily peated whisky has taken on an even more complex and full-bodied character. The smaller the size of cask, the greater the surface contact area between the wood and the spirit, effectively creating an environment for ‘express’ maturation. The resulting
whisky has the benefit of more intense flavours which add depth and greater nuance to the final dram. Smokier notes mingle with the well-loved charred citrus and sweet vanilla spices of Arran Single Malt, evoking a bonfire made from barrel staves.
Our Barrel Bonfire is bottled at 50% Vol, as always non-chill filtered and with no added colouring.
COLOUR : Pure Gold
AROMA : Rich, sweet, aromatic and fruity, baked banana bread and syrupy sponge pudding fill the senses. Notes of treacle trot into a distinctive whiff of burning cedarwood. A splash of water releases a bounty of tropical fruits. Eucalyptus oil mingles with and soft, aromatic smoke.
TASTE : Zesty notes of lime and sweet peaches canter across the palate. A burst of rich smoked fruit and baked bread prance into antiseptic lozenges, creosote, and aniseed. Soft barley malt combines with nutmeg and peat smoke.
FINISH : The influence of these rare Madeira casks is undeniable. A whimsically smoky finish welcomes a long and lingering aftertaste of menthol, clove, wood smoke and camphor.
Berry-laced cereal pops right out, mild proof and oak with plenty of vanilla and cereal grains lightly toasted. Not as sweet as on the nose, turning a bit darker into a malt syrup-like depth. Mouthfeel is deceptively heavy, piquant across the whole tongue with baking spices laying thickly on the front half. Coating, silky, and warming. Begs you to keep sipping.
Bottled solely from the contents of one expertly chosen barrel, this expression of Elijah Craig is the pinnacle of Bourbon craftsmanship. Bold, robust, and incredibly complex, 18-Year-Old presents a rare and unique opportunity to sip some of the oldest Bourbon in Kentucky.
2022 Winner of the Best Single Malt Whisky Of The Year!
Aged in bourbon barrels, american and european sherry casks. Candied orange peel. Sweet vanilla. Ginger cake. Hints of cinnamon and barley sugar with a touch of fresh oak.
Try it! It's delicious!!
Tropical fruits, heather honey and baking spices, followed by demerara sugar,
coconut and marmalade, with citrus notes, caramel and ice cream on the finish.
Sweet nose with notes of dried fruit, nutmeg spice, honey, caramelized walnuts and a gentle touch of oak
Initial spicy notes of cinnamon and clove fade to reveal grape syrup which coats the palate, with raisins, figs,candied cherries and a hint of liquor ice
Limited to 662 bottles
NAS, non-chill filtered and no added colouring.
Matured initially in two ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for approx. 16 months in two Amarone wine barriques.
Bottled at 54.1%
The front palate has a really prominent peppery tingle, and that sweet cinnamon is still there too front and center. The nose agrees with the palate for the most part; there are lots of classic bourbon notes with a slightly tannic oak and vanilla being most prominent. There’s a little bit of cherry in there too. The heat is very manageable for a 120 proofer with a nice mouthfeel to boot.
Sweet Oak and Vanilla
A small batch of four standard barrels from Glencadam Distillery have been used to create this Highland Single Malt, distilled in 2011 and aged for eleven years. With its new make character boasting fragrant floral notes and orchard fruits, Glencadam is a delicously silky and moreish dram, increasingly popular as a distinguished single malt.
The fourth and final in an annual series of limited seasonal bottlings, Lochlea 'Ploughing Edition' represents the season of Winter on the farm, when we start to plough the fields in preparation for sowing the barley seed in Spring.
Production Director John Campbell has chosen a combination of ex-Islay barrels and peated quarter casks for this release, to create a warming, smoky version of our signature Lochlea whisky.
Our tasting notes include boiled sweets, cooked apple and brazil nuts all intertwined with a comforting haze of lingering peat.
This coastal-influenced blend from Adelphi was made to honour the partnership between esteemed whisky writer and industry veteran Charles Maclean and Ardnamurchan distillery. Named after, not only Charles’ nose but by chance, a landmark near the distillery. With a malt content of 70%, this expression offers notes of smoke, lemon zest, brine and fermented bread throughout the palate.
A heavily-peated Islay single malt whisky of the highest quality, Smokehead hits you like a cannonball and takes you on an explosive rollercoaster of peat, smoke and spice with a little delicate sweetness thrown in.
Nose Clear Islay smoke arrives first, with a touch of seaweed in there, before hints of BBQ pineapple and fresh mango develop.
Palate Enjoyably savoury and briny at first, but once again, tropical fruit and cola cube sweetness attempts to wrestle control.
Finish Waxy orange and vanilla, with the final smoky embers of a beach bonfire.
There are so many complex layers of flavour, and it will be different for everyone. But, our blender Shona Macleod gets a gentle peat smoke on the first sip which reminds her of island home fires burning when she was growing up. It comes along with a toasted maltiness. She can also taste homemade apple sauce and smell machair flowers, particularly white clover which springs up on our west coast every summer. Mixed spices appear, and an old-fashioned sweetness from things like candied ginger, vanilla, and honeycomb. Finally, there’s a long, clotted-cream note, mixed with a lasting sense of new leather.
It will be a lightly peated dram, at around 12-15ppm
