2015 was a packed year for Arran with a lot of releases and the last one, released last October, is Arran ‘The Bothy’ which is a homage to the use of small casks used for whisky back in the 18th & 19th centuries.
Arran ‘The Bothy’ is initially matured in first-fill ex-Bourbon barrels which should impart some good and juicy fruit notes and then finished in quarter casks (for spiciness and vanilla notes) for a period of over 18 months.
12,000 bottles were made and it was bottled at cask strength of 55.7%
Arran The Bothy Batch 1 (55.7%, £54.45/€59,99)
Nose: Starts with a pleasant fruity, sweet and cream nose. A lot of pears and a dash of apricots. There are also hints of wood spices and pepper . Also showing up: honey and green oak barks. With additional time in the glass it gets more malty with barley and cereals, additional youth notes and vanilla. Continue reading
Nose: Very grassy, hey and straws, Vanilla and honey, some wet clothes and a bit of pungent, whiffs of nails polish and color thinner and overall a lots of greenery.
Nose: Light and sweet gentle smoke rises up, sweet peat, cured meat in sweet fruit sauce, canned apricots with vanilla topping. With time, it gets fruitier with more apricots and also peaches with whipped malt cream. I must admit the nose is great.
Nose: very Laphroaig-y, medicinal, sooty and sweet peat, hints of lemon, semi-dry, oak and honey. It’s not very smoky or much fruity at first but slowly the smoke get stronger intertwined with stronger honey and fruit notes and if you let it rest in the glass even further: strong and harmonized honey and fruit notes with a dash of smoke. 
Nose: Deep matured peat smoke, still with a very kilchoman-y profile with ashes and chimney smoke, but it’s muted and soft. Honey glazed meat on BBQ, sweet malty cereals, vanilla, sweet fruit leaning toward red fruit (sherry impact) side. Over time getting some dried fruit note and the smoke intensify a bit yet still being kept in check.
Nose: Glorious old sherry, sour and sweet, where to start? Lots of berries here, strawberries and raspberries, dates, figs, sultanas, cherries chocolate and plain milk chocolate, cooked nutmeg and a dash of bitter herbals and oak spices. Very rich and very fresh despite the old age. 
Nose: That’s a nose that isn’t taking prisoners – oriental spices, tea spices, menthol, sweet, some cigar leaves and tobacco, old books and leather but at the same time fresh sweet red fruit, brown caramel, Cream Brulee, Herbal, oranges and citrus fragranced. 
Whisky Gospel 