Arran 18 Years Old 46% NV

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Serge Valentin (86)

Last’s year’s 18 was a limited release, which I found nice but a little too sherried for the distillate’s clean, bright profile. This one’s the brand new, core-range bottling. Colour: gold. Nose: starts with many beers, from lagers to ales, before it becomes rather more mineral. Wet limestone, freshly squeezed orange juice, cider apples, some green tea, only a touch of vanilla, greengages, gooseberries… It’s really a bright orchardy Arran, rather au naturel as far as I can tell. Also notes of leaves and ‘young’ bark. Mouth: is it like what happens with many white wines, the minerality (and/or salinity) comes out after quite a few years of maturing. Indeed, beyond the rather creamy vanilla and tinned peaches, and beyond the few sultanas from the soft sherry, I’m finding a chalkiness that’s really to my liking. No notes of buds/stems/rubber this time, and little leafy sherry. Touches of lemon and grapefruit as well, all for the better. Finish: medium, clean and fresh, rather on lemon curd, tarte au citron, sweet vanilla, and overripe apples… Drops of Fanta. Comments: just excellent and much more to my liking than last year’s limited batch.