Review #43: Arran 2005/2011, OB for The Nectar, 55%, Peated, ex-Bourbon, Cask #124, 254 bottles

I need to sort my samples.

Unfortunately, I don't have quite enough samples lying around to make much organization worthwhile, but maybe things are getting a little messy. Anyway, this one was on top. And it's all good -- Arran is good! And consistently getting better. I'm a little worried at the youth of this one, but we'll see.

Nose: plenty of orchard fruit when I first picked up the glass, but now I can't pick up anything but peat (tarry smoke, licorice) and some granite. Ah, there's the fruit again: peaches and pears in syrup. Very nice, but it doesn't play well with the peat, I think -- I notice one or the other.

Palate: Sweet and creamy and then phenolic. Loads of vanilla. The fruit and peat mesh better here: it's like a mentholated compote rather than two separate things.

Finish: both ashy and candied, oddly enough. It works.

This is tasty and interesting -- I can see why they bottled this youngster.

score: 85