Distillery

Arran whiskies

Arran is the distillery at Lochranza, in the north of the Isle of Arran, and one of the few Scottish ones founded at the end of the 20th century. It opened in 1995 after more than a century and a half without legal distilling on the island, and within a few years it earned a place among the most respected independent malts. Its style is fruity and clean, unpeated in the core range. Since 2019 the company has had a second distillery in the south of the island, Lagg, devoted to peated whisky.

Founded
1995
Owner
Isle of Arran Distillers
Origin
Islands, Scotland
In the catalogue
8 whiskies

History, style and where to startSee it on the world mapArran official website

  • Arran distillery, photo 1 of 3
    Photo: paul birrell · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted)
  • Arran distillery, photo 2 of 3
    Photo: Tim Glover · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted)
  • Arran distillery, photo 3 of 3
    Photo: Photograph by Mike Peel ( www.mikepeel.net ). · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted)

8 whiskies

Guide to Arran

History

The project was driven by Harold Currie, a former industry executive, with the idea of reviving the distilling tradition of Arran, which in the 19th century had dozens of illicit stills. The distillery was built at Lochranza, beside a burn of clean water, and began producing in 1995. The first years were hard, as for any new distillery that must wait for its whisky to mature, but the quality of the first young malts attracted attention. Over time it has expanded its capacity, kept its independence and added the Lagg distillery to keep the peated style separate.

House style

Arran’s spirit is light and fruity: green apple, citrus, pear and vanilla, with a creamy touch. The house bottles its core malts at a good strength and without chill filtration, and tends to play with bourbon and sherry casks. Without peat, the character is fresh and bright, although the island sometimes adds a faint briny nuance. The editions finished in wine, sherry or port show how well the spirit takes the wood without losing freshness.

Average flavour profile of its 8 whiskies in the catalogue

Sweet
3.3
Fresh fruit
3.0
Ripe and dried fruit
1.8
Floral and herbal
1.1
Cereal and malt
1.3
Vanilla and creamy
2.1
Oak
1.6
Spicy
1.9
Toasted
1.6
Smoky
0.4
Maritime
0.1
Body and intensity
2.8

Where to start

Arran 10 Year Old is the best way in: fresh, fruity and with more body than its age suggests. Arran Barrel Reserve is a slightly lighter, sweeter version. Both are good options if you’re after a smokeless island malt. To notice the contrast with its sister, compare them with a peated island malt: you’ll see how much Arran’s style relies on fruit rather than smoke.

This text was generated and translated by AI and may contain errors. Founding year, owner and official website come partly from Wikidata.

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