.bunnahabhain - 2001 - 10yo - càrn mòr

.photo from
whiskybase.com

46% abv, €45, single malt, non-chill filtered, natural colour, single cask

Nose: sharp, slight iodine, fruit, apples, pears, floral, heather, roses, liquorice-root, citrus, blood-oranges,
Palate: sweet, honey, floral, roses, rosewater, fresh, 7up (the bubbles too), gentle spice
Finish: short, mildly sweet, slight iron afterthought
Mark: ++/+++

Conclusion: I am not overly enthusiastic about it. She is nice, but one would expect more dark fruit from en ex-Sherry cask.

Distilled in 2001, matured in an ex-Sherry puncheon, bottled in 2012 into 785 bottles

.the arran - 1997 - càrn mòr

photo from
whiskybase.com

46% abv, €35, single malt, non-chill filtered, natural colour

Nose: sweet, fruit, soft red apples, citrus, sweet oranges, sweet ripe pineapple, caramel, red fruit, berries, fresh cranberries, fresh herbs, sage, parsley
Palate: sweet, fresh fruit, apples, pears, caramel, red fruit, berries, strawberries
Finish: sweet, herbal, sage, long, gentle, toffee
Mark: ++++/+

Conclusion: Typical sweet Arran nose, palate and finish. I would buy another bottle if it were still available (for a reasonable price). As goes with typical Arran sweetness, you either love it or you loathe it - because of the overly sweet character.

More info: Càrn Mòr Stricktly Limited Edition is a series of bottlings from the Scottish Liqueur Centre featuring singles malt whiskies from selected distilleries throughout Scotland, bottled at 46%, non chill-filtered and without any caramel colouring added. Càrn (cairn) is Gaelic for "heap of stones" or "round rocky hill"and Mòr is "large" or "great", giving a translation of "great heap of stones" or something like that.

At the point of bottling, this Arran was one of the older whiskies from this distillery that was bottled, since the distillery has only opened in 1995. Their oldest official bottling in 2012 was "only" 14 years old.

Distilled in 1997, matured in hogsheads, bottled in 2012 into 690 bottles from 2 casks.