Review #78: Arran 15yr 1996/2012, Glen Fahrn, 56.2%, Cask #776, 236 bottles

yet another German (or mostly Swiss) bottler

Arran's been lurching forward in quality, so it's time to try another one. (I seem to have a tag for it, but I don't remember the last one I wrote up -- and that's pretty much why I started the blog.)  Let's hope Arran can stay in that space where it's fantastic but not fantastically priced. This one should be a fairly early distillate from Arran.

Nice soft nose, with faint pineapples and peaches against a sharp grassiness. Chamomile and citrus, too. Becomes more juicy and floral as time passes, with some crushed herbs and a touch of gristly malt and oak. White chocolate and peonies.

Palate is great -- oily, then a blast of salt, eucalyptus, and floral sweetness. There's some oak there, too, but it blends nicely with the salt and everything else.

Finish is ok -- long enough, but the oak and the flowers last longest, and don't play together well.

This is, indeed, fantastic. In some ways, I'm more impressed by this than by some other Arrans I've tried: just a single naked malt from presumably and old refill cask, and the quality really shines through.
I think I prefer this over the Punchbowl or some sherry casks I've come across.

score: 89