ARRAN Smugglers series vol.1

On the Isle of Arran in the Highlands, distillation was prohibited in the 18th and 19th century. This bottling is a rare tribute to the period when distillation was banned and so carried out illicitly. It is a blend of peated and unpeated old whiskies matured in port and bourbon casks. The result is a very peaty whisky coming in at 56,4% ABV, one of the best on the island and a touching tribute to the time when distillation was still illegal. On 11 November 1991, Isle of Arran joined the very small circle of independent Scottish distilleries. Founded at the initiative of Harold Currie, former director of Chivas and House of Campbell, the distillery began producing whisky at the end of June 1995, drawing to a close a 150-year absence of whisky production on the island. In late 1998, the distillery released the first edition of its malt in a limited edition (1,000 bottles worldwide), the cask strength Arran 1995 (60.3%). In 1999, the classic version at 43% ABV, was released in a limited number of markets. It would not be until 2002 that the first single casks were released, from vintages 1995 and 1997, revealing the distillery owners' bold and determined character and willingness to experiment with all types of maturation, from port to calvados, cognac and rum. In 2019, Isle of Arran celebrated its double figures with the release of an Arran 18 Year Old and and an Arran 21 Year Old.