Scotch Whisky Review #493: Arran Arranach Handfill Château d’Issan Margaux Cask

Distillery: Arran.

Region: Island.

Age: No age statement on the label but the internet indicates this should be a 10 year old.

ABV: 58.0%.

Cask Type: Château d’Issan Margaux red wine cask.

Price: £35 at auction.

Color: 1.4, Tawny.

This is the 21st installment of this years’ Christmas Countdown. You can check out previous editions as well (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022).

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Nose: Vanilla, paraffin wax, and something that reminds me an awful lot of cornbread are what I picked out of this at full strength. I feel like there’s a lot more here but I wasn’t quite able to get more before adding water. After adding some water, you get a lovely dried fruit trail mix with raisins (both golden and normal), dehydrated papaya, dried apricot, prunes, and lots more.

Palate: It really needs water to open up, otherwise it feels very dark and closed off. Even with water it feels very dark and heavy with the mouthfeel having a density and heft I’d expect from a worm tub whisky (perhaps even heavier). Darker fruits are what rule the day with blackcurrant, stewed plums, blackberry, and a little bit of acai berry.

Finish: Medium in length. It starts off drying but then it turns a bit creamy. There’s a bit of those dark fruits to start and it ends with a shortbread.

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Conclusion: The isle of Arran has been on my “must go” list for every time we’ve been to Scotland and yet I still haven’t found a way to squeeze in a detour there onto my list. A part of that is, of course, to drop by the Arran distillery. I’ve had to settle for the next best thing here with a handfill picked up on auction. This little French red wine cask really left a mark on the Arran distillate. You still get a lot of fruitiness, which plays very well with the base spirit, but it also has a heft and weight that most Arran doesn’t have. Certainly a tasty one but given how dark and heavy it is, it isn’t one I’d reach for casual drinking. One you have to be in just the right mood to enjoy for sure.

Rating: 80.

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Scotch Whisky Review #493, Island Review #79, Whisky Network Review #657