Arran

Geographically, one could consider the Isle of Arran as the gateway between the west coastal islands and mainland Scotland; flavour-wise, the Arran Distillery, a relative newcomer established back in 1995, straddles a similarly important position.

As with the modern development of distilleries, Arran was something of a revelation from a design perspective: a capacity of 750,000 litres per year, all the different stages of production have been laid out methodically across one level.

Despite Arran’s youthful existence, the spirit produced is robust, allowing a whisky full of character to emerge. The new-make spirit matures perfectly with any number of different cask types, be it a rich, sweet, buttery first fill bourbon or darker, complex, and spicy first fill Sherry. It is also a distillery unafraid to experiment; alongside the conventional casks, both Port and French wine barriques have featured heavily in the past and a heavily peated spirit has also been distilled. 

Given the location and the hugely approachable nature of the whisky, a visit to Arran is an absolute must, especially when exploring the other treasures of Scotland’s flavoursome west coast.