Price: £40
Purchased From: The Whisky Exchange
ABV: 46%
I wasn’t planning on reviewing this anytime soon, and not because I drink it rarely – completely the opposite. It’s the entry level single malt I’ve had the most, and there is always a bottle open at my house. Having just arrived in the UK for another trip around Scotland, I was delighted to find half a bottle of this unsnaffled at the in-laws’ house from my last trip here, so I thought what better time to write a review.
Nose
Malt forward initially – barley, rich tea biscuits and fresh rye bread. After opening up, the sweetness comes out – honey, vanilla, apples.
Taste
Sweet and slightly spicy. Vanilla, caramel, heather honey, orange. The gentle spice also comes through later – ginger and cinnamon. I found water is not needed. If I had to pick one downside of this dram, it’s that the finish is short.
Conclusion
In my opinion Arran 10-year-old is one of, if not the best, affordable entry level bottles available, and has been for quite some time. There are a few others I put in the same category – Glencadam 10 comes to mind – but Arran 10 does one thing better than a lot of other entry level single malts: it’s a really good whisky to recommend to friends and family who aren’t really whisky people.