1996 Old Particular Arran 19 Years comes from a cask picked by K&L here in California. Hailing from the little distillery on the little island of Arran this fruit bomb of a whisky is another in the long line of great whisky I’ve had from this scrappy little distillery; and I’ve had a lot of The Arran over the years. Bottled under the Old Particular line this is definitely a great pick, though really all of their Arran picks have been good. K&L + Arran is a combo to watch for.
What K&L has to say about the 1996 Old Particular Arran 19 Years
“This recent arrival from our Old Particular line is lighter on the sherry influence as the cask itself had been used previously to mature whisky, but that only allows the inherent maltiness of the Arran to come through. What the sherry does is simply highlight the toasted grains and the subtle hint of maritime influence, almost like a light frosting on a cake. The weight of the whisky is supple on the palate and the richness comes through on the finish with waves of baking spice, bits of cocoa, and a mealy biscuit note.”
Now let’s go see how the whisky hits the senses in the 1996 Old Particular Arran 19 Years review below!
1996 Old Particular Arran 19 Years Info
Region: Islands, Scotland
Distiller: The Arran
Bottler: Douglas Lang
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Bourbon
Age: 19 Years
ABV: 54.9%
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Price: $70
1996 Old Particular Arran 19 Years Review
EYE
Light Yellow
NOSE
Rich fruit bomb (apricot, apple, bananas, coconut, etc.), malt, caramel, spice, citrus zest, honey, graham. Light hay, oak and butterscotch. Holy cow this is great.
PALATE
Buttery complex fruit bomb with layers of malt, melon, honey graham, fresh pastry and light bits of anise, clove, vanilla, dark sweets and cocoa. The nose was great, but the palate is even better. This is awesome.
FINISH
Long spiraling finish of fruit, malt, honey graham and earthy hay.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Nicely balanced, rich full body and a heavy oily feel.
OVERALL
1996 Old Particular Arran 19 Years is great and at $70 it’s worth every penny; you can easily pay so much more to get so much less. It’s refreshing to get a great malt at a decent price. I initially just had a sample of this from a friend I was going to review, but after downing that sample I just logged on to K&L’s site and ordered 2 bottles instead.
The soft fruity malty aroma alone is worth the entry fee making that buttery fruity palate feel like a hell of a bonus. The finish is nice, but pales in comparison to the smell and the taste – as it should. I’m quite happy with this 1996 Old Particular Arran 19 Years and if you get to try it I think you’ll be quite happy too.
SCORE: 91/100 (A-)
