TASTING NOTE

Inspired by the Isle of Arran's illicit whisky trade in the 18th and 19th centuries, Quarter Cask 'The Bothy' is a single malt, bottled at natural cask strength for an intensely rich and satisfying dram.

Small, easily transportable whisky casks were a common feature of the island's former illicit distilling past. Reflecting this heritage, Quarter Cask goes through an unusual cask maturation, and is initially aged in ex-bourbon barrels before transfer to smaller 'quarter' casks, which intensifies the maturation process and adds an extra dimension of spice.

This unique whisky is crafted at Arran's Lochranza distillery with a blend of Scottish-grown malted barley, and fresh water from nearby Loch na Davie, reputedly the source of the purest water in Scotland.

Once the malts have been fermented with yeast, the 'wash' is then double distilled in copper pot stills, before being laid down to mature in First-Fill ex-Bourbon barrels for seven years, before being transferred for secondary maturation into smaller American oak casks for a further two years.

Isle of Arran Distillers bottle this single malt at a natural cask strength of 56.2% abv, and to present the whisky in its unadulterated, purest form, and retain its full flavour, choose to not chill filter.

ABOUT THE PRODUCER

Founded by whisky industry veteran Harold Currie, the Isle of Arran Distillery opened in the village of Lochranza in 1995, bringing (legal) whisky production back to the island for the first time since the mid 1800s, when the island was a hotbed of illicit whisky making.

After three years of maturation, the first legal dram made on Arran in over 160 years was poured in 1998, whilst the first 10 Year-Old came of age in 2006.

Over the past two decades, and under the watchful eye of Master Distiller James MacTaggart, the distillery has built a name for itself for its non-peated expressions, whilst from time to time releasing limited edition peated bottlings.

In 2019, the Isle of Arran Distillers also opened their doors to a sister distillery located on the southern tip of the island, overlooking the Firth of Clyde and the beaches of the south. The Lagg Distillery will specialise in contrasting peated styles of whisky, quite distinctive from the Arran Malts produced at the Lochranza distillery, with their first single malt expected for release in 2022.