Review #191: Arran 14 Year

Island - 14 - NCF - NCA - $70 - 46%

I have had the Arran 10 and the 12 CS but have not had the 14.  I tend to think of Arran as malt and toffee.  I feel that Arran tends to score high on QPR but I have not had much from their line.  The 14 is a mix of sherry and bourbon barrels but looking at the color, it is mostly ex-bourbon or some repeatedly refilled sherry.  

Color - Amber

Nose - Honey, vanilla, malt, citrus, toffee, salt

Palate - Stewed apples, cereal, barrel char, these orange candy things

Finish - Medium - Indistinct dried fruit, orange zest, baking spices, vanilla, toffee, lemon

Overall - 6 - This fell in line with my expectations for the dram.  It is a nice malt bomb with enough going on to balance it out.  However, I would prefer the 12 CS over this.  I don't think I have seen the 12 cs since batch 5 but I would pick up that over this regardless of price.  To compare to the 10, this is much better than the potable 10.  Overall, an enjoyable whisky but there are more interesting things available at that price point.  

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Rating system is price influenced as it is based on my shopping decisions when buying a bottle.

10 Best in Show

9 Great Dram for Special Occasions

8 Worthy of consistent spot in my collection

7 Worth picking up a bottle if in the mood

6 I would buy a bottle if it went on sale
5.5 I really enjoyed but it will never be priced at where I would buy a bottle

5 I would drink it happily if offered

4 I would drink it if offered on the rocks

3 Maybe some soda will make this potable

2 I'll Pass

1 Toilet cleaner

Inclusive Ratings

Overall 6.1

Standard Deviation 0.91

Skew 0.66

Kurtosis -0.16