#lochranza distillery

[amp-whisky]

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

Ewan McGregor To Auction Arran Whisky For Charity

The 26-year-old Arran single malt was distilled in 1998

Scottish actor Ewan McGregor is auctioning 150 bottles from his private cask of 26-year-old single malt whisky from Lochranza Distillery for charity.

McGregor has partnered with the distillery to bottle and auction 150 exclusive bottles from his 1998 vintage single cask, which the distillery gifted to him. All proceeds will go to Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS), a charity that supports children with life-limiting conditions and their families.

Ewan has been involved with CHAS and visited their hospices many times over the years, so He knows the unwavering care that both [hospices] Rachel House and Robin House provide children and their families during their hardest moments. “ He hopes this auction can raise a significant amount to ensure that these wonderful places can continue providing the service they do.”

The auction offers whisky enthusiasts and fans of Ewan a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a piece of whisky history and contribute to a worthy cause. Whisky Auctioneer will auction the limited edition bottles from 27 September to 7 October. The auction is open to bidders globally, and the first 24 bottles have been personally signed by Ewan McGregor.

The first 24 bottles auctioned will be personally signed by McGregor

The rare 26-year-old Arran single malt was matured in an ex-Sherry hogshead cask and is offered at 46% ABV. The expression is one of the oldest whiskies ever produced by the Lochranza Distillery, each bottle features a unique, specially designed label, making each bottle hugely desirable in its own right.

Stewart Bowman, distillery manager of Isle of Arran Distillers, stated: “In 1998, Ewan McGregor joined us at Lochranza Distillery to toast the first cask of Arran single malt, which was the first legal cask to be laid down on Arran for over 150 years. We presented him with his ex-Sherry hogshead that day, and it has matured in our warehouse.

Andrew Currie and Ewan McGregor toast the good health of Arran single malt on the shore of Lochranza castle in 1998

Bowman added: “Like Ewan, we remain close to our roots and are passionate about giving back to the community. We have looked after Ewan’s cask for the last 26 years, and we are delighted to work with him, Whisky Auctioneer, and Leith to raise money for CHAS.”

Creative agency The Leith has partnered with Ewan and his brother Colin McGregor to bring Ewan’s Cut to life, pro-bono. The bottle design and name have been inspired by McGregor’s career, featuring references to his roles in films including Trainspotting and Star Wars, as well as his Long Way Round television series.

Each of the 150 bottle labels is said to read like a mini film script, with no two labels alike. The ‘Ewan’s Cut’ labels were created and written by Rob Petrie (head of design at Leith) and Colin Montgomery (senior copywriter) with support from Beth Lauder (senior account manager).

Each bottle of Ewan’s Cut contains a refernces to McGregor’s impressive career. Credit: Isle of Arran Distillers

Joe Wilson, head curator and spirits specialist at Whisky Auctioneer, said: “At Whisky Auctioneer, we take great pride in supporting charitable causes, and we were honoured to be approached to bring Ewan’s Cut to auction. The launch of Isle of Arran Distillers nearly three decades ago was a landmark moment in the whisky industry, ushering in a new era of independent Scottish distilleries. We are proud to play our part in this exciting chapter of their story and look forward to sharing this remarkable whisky with enthusiasts globally.”

(:Lochranza Distillery)

#EwanMcGregor i#auction #26yearsold #charity #singlemaltwhisky #LochranzaDistillery #Arran #Scotland #IsleofArran #ScottishDistilleries #WhiskyAuctioneer #Ewan’sCut

Posted 11th September 2024

[peashooter85]

Whisky Review Time --- Robert Burns Single Malt Scotch (Isle of Arran)

I picked up a bottle of this from the online store of the PA Wines and Spirits. They had it on clearance sale for $19.99, 50% off from it's regular retail price of $40. So obviously no one was buying it and they need to get rid of it. For $20 I thought I would give it a shot. Did I make a mistake risking $20 on a Scotch I know little to nothing about?

This whisky is made by the Arran Distillery in Lochranza Scotland. That's located here...

In addition to their regular products, every year they release a limited edition single malt in honor of the Scottish poet Robert Burns, who lived and died in the 18th century. Don't know who he is? Well, know this song?

As much as I'd like to do a deep dive of Robert Burns, I'm here to judge whisky, not poetry. According to the distillery, the whisky is aged in ex-bourbon casks. That means they age their whisky in charred American oak barrels that were once used to age Bourbon. They give not age statement but supposedly it's young for a Scotch. It's bottled at 43% ABV.

The aroma of it is very light, so much so I have to stick my nose right in the glencairn I'm drinking from. But I do get pleasant aromas of light sherry, plums, raisins, and other dried fruit. On tasting I notice right away that the flavors of it are not as subtle as the aroma. I get a light taste of the fruity sherry flavor often associated with scotch, but then a very heavy peatiness. It's very smoky and finishes very dry. This peaty smokiness announces itself very loudly and is very in your face. The problem is, I don't know if I like this or not. The flavors are complex and I can definitely respect that but I don't think I like it. I've been trying scotches recently and I've discovered I tend to like scotch that is more sherry oriented, and while I like some peaty smokiness, I don't like it being so in your face. So I tried to tame it a bit by adding a few drops of water. Ehh, it tamed the smokiness and dryness of it to the point that I like those flavors, but eliminated the sherry and dry fruity flavors I enjoy. It doesn't seem like the flavors are balanced. Let me just say for me personally the water trick has never worked, I've never improved a whisk(e)y by adding water that worked with my palate. I'm sure it works with other people, but not for me.

So how do I rate this? Well, to be honest I don't want to rate it. I think it's a matter of taste, and I'm sure there are a lot of people who would say it's great. It's just not for me. If anyone's ever had this before or other Arran whiskies, please feel free to comment and give your rating.

[baycruiser23cara]

15 June Caladh Harbour to Lochranza (Arran) 2 nights

The winds had moved round to the south and therefore on the nose so we largely motored to the northern most port on the island. Picked up one of the numerous blue visitors buoys and dinghied ashore - our first trip in the wee boat since our holiday began. Good pub food in the local Inn. Rain came on our second day but this did not deter our trip along the coast to the Fairy Dell ( see if you can spot the important geological feature below, not Ian btw) and an afternoon spent in the local Distillery. The winds had turned to the north and although not windy swell built up on the harbour so we moved to the pontoon for a while. OBD followed with store cupboard pasta and a dash to the pub to watch the end of the England game.

[maltrunners]

Arran 10 Year (2007) Master of Distilling James MacTaggert 10th Anniversary

Arran 10 Year (2007) Master of Distilling James MacTaggert 10th Anniversary Review by: zSolaris Distillery: Lochranza/Arran. Region: Island. Age: 10 year. Distilled in 2007 and bottled in 2017. ABV: 54.2%. Cask Type: First Fill Bourbon Barrels. Color: 0.8, Old Gold. Nose: Very reminiscent of a fruit salad here, one served with fresh whipped cream. Melon, citrus, and some banana are the…

[goodspiritsnewsat]

GSN Alert: New Spirits Releases 9.20.23

ARRAN 25 YEAR Arran Single Malt Whiskies are made at Lochranza Distillery located on the north side of the island of Arran. This 25 year-old whisky is the brand’s oldest expression in its core range to date and it’s aged in ex-sherry and ex-bourbon casks. Just 3,000 bottles are produced annually and the US is getting its first allocation of 240 bottles beginning June 2023. (SRP $789.99) BARRELL…

[thewhiskyphiles]

Arran 18 Years Old 1996 (52.7%, Whiskybroker, Refill HH #777, 256 Bottles, 2015)

Arran 18 Years Old 1996 (52.7%, Whiskybroker, Refill HH #777, 256 Bottles, 2015)

Arran 18 Years Old 1996 Whisky Review

ABV: 52.7%

Age: 18 Years Old

Bottling: Whiskybroker, Refill HH #777, 256 Bottles

Category: Island single malt scotch whisky

Cost: £sold out

Origin: Arran Distillery

Vintage: 1996

What they say

18yo Arran, 70cl, 52.7% Single Malt Scotch Whisky bottled by whiskybroker.co.uk.

This whisky, distilled on 19th July 1996 at Arran Distillery, has been matured…

[clandonnachaidh]

Light Across The Seas That Severed

Read on AO3

It always surprised Jamie Fraser, the things that made him think of Claire Beauchamp. Along with the usual triggers—the gut punch when he caught a whiff of someone wearing her signature perfume, the seizing of his heart when his eyes were automatically drawn to messy brown curls on a stranger walking down the high street, the ache in his chest when someone walked past who had the same cadence as her laugh—it was the small, unexpected ones that hurt the most.

He could be walking into the village and see her hair in the colours of the water as it ruffled over the rocks in the burn, so real to him that it felt as though he could reach out and tangle it through his fingers. His carefully curated playlist would end and Spotify would betray him, blasting a song that he had kept at bay, conjuring memories of the two of them dancing like fools on the nights that they laughed so loud that it seemed even the walls shook as they brushed their teeth in the cramped bathroom of their dorm.

It was torture. A delicious kind, but torture nonetheless. One that he had thought to turn into prose—at the recommendation of his therapist. It had been explained to him that grief and loss were themes that could be explored in ourselves if we attempted to write them from another’s perspective. And so here he was now, years after she had left him, sitting at his late father’s desk with a whisky in one hand and a pen in the other, trying to make sense of what had happened and how he had ever been stupid enough to watch silently as her light, his Sorcha, slipped from his life.

On yet another night spent in the same position—the room dark with only a lamp beside him to illuminate the black moleskin notebook—he reclined, the chair creaking under his weight. His father’s old office chair, with it’s worn leather and rusty hinges, wasn’t built to accommodate a man of his size but he’d found that it actually helped to coax the words from his brain, as though the physical discomfort made his emotional pain easier to access. He seemed to need a little nudge to allow himself to sink deeper into parts of his past that he had spent so long trying to keep locked away.

When the whisky finally made him brave enough to open the door, the memories flooded out onto the paper: the sight of her pink lips pouted in frustration as she struggled to lift her belongings from the boot of the taxi on the first day of university, the first time she laughed at one of his terrible jokes (why do the French only use one egg to make an omelette, Sassenach? Because one is an oeuf!), the first time he helped her into her coat and his fingertips brushed the skin behind her ear (their maiden voyage to the on campus coffee house, faces taut in disgust as they realised that their unrelenting back and forth had caused their coffees to go cold). He wrote about falling in love with his best friend and why he had wasted so much time worrying about how to tell her.

Jamie had spent hours, days, months, sitting in his father’s chair, consumed by the fruitless pursuit of trying to plot the points of their relationship. Although he could vividly picture the scenes, he didn’t recognise the people anymore. He had been young, too young by half to know what he wanted out of life and she had been more than he could have dreamed of. He had fallen in love with her instantly, as he was sure most people did at the sight of one Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp. But that was years ago and they had both changed, she was living her life in Boston as a brilliant surgeon while Jamie languished in Lallybroch, living in his old bedroom while his sister and her family had the run of the house.

The burn of the whisky slipping down his throat was a pleasant distraction but the batch still made his eyes water slightly and he made a mental note to tell Ian that the recipe could still do with some tweaking before it could be sold under the Mac Dubh name. He had made a modest success of himself, that was true, now the creator of the fourth highest selling whisky in Scotland. Broch Tuarach had changed from a small farming village that nobody really knew of to the home of one of Scotland’s largest and most successful distilleries, and Jamie was often credited with bringing jobs and tourists to the village in numbers that hadn’t been seen before. There had been a boom in the local economy allowing the village to thrive and he was seen as a pillar of the community, people jokingly referring to him as Laird, or the more familiar Himself, when he passed them in the street although the official title was held by some landowner that lived down south somewhere and had only stepped foot in the area once.

Still, he thought, this batch wasn’t ready for marketing just yet. Jamie put the glass down, rubbed his tired eyes with his even more tired fingers and decided to call it a night, making his way down the hall to his bedroom. His limbs felt heavy as he went through the motions of getting ready for bed. Finally stripping off his shirt and jeans and crawling under the covers, he cast a cursory glance at the phone he had left charging on the bedside table.

Sassenach

Missed call 23.02

He screwed his eyes shut before opening them again as if to knock some sense into them but the notification was still there. The rough pad of his thumb hovered over it, almost afraid that if he attempted to open it, it would cease to exist. He pressed the lock button once to blacken the screen, paused, and then pressed it again to bring it into view and still it remained.

It must have been an accident, a slip of the hand while she was trying to call someone else. He reminded himself of the time difference, it would be the early evening where she was and she could be tired after a long day or maybe even rushing between surgeries. She probably hadn’t even noticed that she had called him. He had to fight his inflating ego when he considered the fact that she still had his number, but blushed in shame as he recalled the frightened face of the poor spotty teenage lad in the phone shop who he had made swear that he wouldn’t lose any contacts or photos when he upgraded to his new handset.

Realising that he was now sat straight up in his bed, his heart beating a slightly faster staccato than usual, he opened the notification. Just seeing her name (or rather, his name for her) on his screen again did things to his body that he wasn’t in control of. His hands felt clammy while his mouth was dry. This was different than just scanning her Facebook page in the dark, looking at her perfectly posed pictures that she chose to share, and lamenting the absence of candids that he had so loved taking when they were friends. She found one of them once, one he had snapped of her the day that they had taken the ferry over to the Isle of Arran for a few nights. Knowing that she didn’t have any remaining family, he had insisted that she spend the summer break from university at Lallybroch with his family and she had happily accepted. However, after a few nights in Jamie’s massive ancestral home, filled with more Fraser bodies than they could count, he promised to take her away for a few days of peace and had driven her to the ferry terminal at Claonaig without divulging their destination. They had been blessed with a beautiful summer’s day for the crossing to Lochranza and he’d thanked God that he managed to keep his breakfast in his stomach. Or rather, that he almost had until they were in sight of the island. Jamie had burst from his seat and had made it to the toilet just in time for his stomach to erupt, sweat dampening his brow until his wame was empty. Shivering and definitely worse for wear but at least grateful in the knowledge that there was nothing else to come up, he had returned to the deck of the ferry to see Claire out in the sun, her forearms resting on the railing as she looked out over the water. The way that her hair whipped up in the wind made Jamie’s chest tighten and before he knew it, he had taken out his phone and snapped a picture.

Months later, Claire had snagged his phone from the table of the bar that they were sat in, too quick for Jamie. She quipped an eyebrow at him in victory, chastising him that he had yet to show her pictures of his latest niece when she stumbled across the photo. He watched as her throat bobbed, swallowing emotion that he wished he could taste before looking at him straight in the eye. Without being asked, he told her that he couldn’t help himself. And she smiled shyly before cooing about Jenny’s new daughter.

The memory flooded his senses and Jamie closed his eyes, filling his lungs with a deep breath for a count of four, holding it for a count of four and then letting it out for six in a vain attempt at calming his racing mind. His whole body felt as though it was vibrating, alive for the first time in what he could remember at the mere <em>thought</em> of Claire Beauchamp.

It took Jamie a second to realise that the vibration wasn’t coming from his body. Or rather, it was, but from a specific part of his body. His hand, the one that was holding his phone, was shaking rhythmically, the screen bright against the darkness of the rest of the room.

Sassenach calling…

The breath jittered from his lungs as he tried to take a steady breath. Watching, almost as though someone else was moving his body as he thumb accepted the call and he slowly raised the phone to his ear.

“Claire?”

On the other end of the phone, he heard her let out a heavy breath. His heart seized as he listened to her break, all too familiar with the sound of her crying.

“Claire, are ye hurt? Tell me what’s—“

“Frank is dead.”

Ice fell heavy in his chest at the sound of her voice before he even took stock of the words that she had uttered. To hear her voice again.

“Oh, lass… Mo chridhe, I am so sorry,” he whispered the words, truly meaning them as he wished for nothing but her happiness. Anything to bring her from the pain that she was feeling.

“He— oh God, he’s dead. He’s really dead.”

He knew in that moment that he would cross oceans for her simply to bring her peace. He had always known the truth of what they shared, how he responded to her call but nothing had prepared him for the tsunami of pure need that he would experience when he heard her cry down the phone about her dead husband.

“I’m sorry, mo chridhe, I’m so sorry,” he repeated at the sound of her hyperventilating, his shoulders creeping up around his ears as he wished he could bear the pain for her, “What do you need, Claire? Anything.”

“He’s in the ground,” she whispered as though saying it out loud would make it more true, “God, Jamie, I don’t know what to do.”

Hearing his name fall from her lips was a balm that he didn’t know his soul needed. The hairs on his arms stood to attention as a shiver rippled through him, clenching his jaw to steady himself and give her his full attention.

“Do ye have people around ye, Claire? Have ye folk in Boston?”

[greatdrams]

Isle of Arran 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 2019 Release

let’s begin

Arran is a relatively young distillery but they are knocking out classics as good as their ancient competitors.

It’s all happening on Arran

The Isle of Arran itself sits on the west coast of Scotland, huddled neatly between the mainland and the peninsula where Campbeltown is found. Nearby you find Islay and Jura, just over the peninsula, where some of Scotland’s most well-known malts are made.

Arran is starting to challenge Islay for claim of hosting the most distilleries on an island. Currently Arran is home to two distilleries. They form a nice line on a map, with Isle of Arran in the north, at Lochranza and Lagg in the south. Lagg is the most recent distillery to call Arran its home, having only opened this year.

Isle of Arran Distillery

The distillery we’re interested in today though, is the Isle of Arran, which has been around since 1996. Also known as the Lochranza distillery, the team here have been creating great malts in that time. they have recently undergone a revamp in their branding, and with this have breathed new life into their malts.

Their 10 year old is one of their best known and loved malts and this year saw them release a new expression. It’s already won two awards this year, including a Gold medal at the World Whiskies Awards and a Gold medal at the International Wines & Spirits Competition.

TASTING NOTES FOR THE ISLE OF ARRAN 10 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY 2019 RELEASE

Bottle cost: £37.99

For more information and to buy Isle of Arran 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 2019 Release click here

The nose opens with lots of sweet and spicy notes. Cinnamon and vanilla come together to give it a good start. It is warming and homely, with hints of oak wood and honey.

The palate is wonderfully smooth and the honey notes are vibrant here. More vanilla, oak and caramel comes through. It is rich with citrus notes and sweet nuts. Pecans, almonds and hazelnuts give it a lovely depth and complement the honey flavours perfectly. Orchard fruits add a nice sweetness.

The finish lingers on apples, vanilla and cinnamon, bringing it to a lovely, warming end.

This is an excellent update from Isle of Arran Distillery and they have stuck to their core flavour profile well. Let’s hope this rebrand encourages more exciting malts like this!

Buy the Glentauchers Single Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What do you think of Isle of Arran malt? Let us know in the comments.

The post Isle of Arran 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 2019 Release appeared first on GreatDrams.

from GreatDrams https://ift.tt/2DIZtN3 Greg

[photosatwoollypigs]

Weather front

Weather front #lochranza #isleofarran #scotland #photography

View from Lochranza on Isle of Arran, towards the Kintyre peninsula. This is the tail end of the shower that gave us a good “wash”. When the weather forecast says showers, do be prepared wrap up fast, as you will get a soaking double fast at random times. As you can see on the other photo, the shower had on higher grounds brought some snow with it.

Lochranza Distillery, jolly good wee dram.…

[amp-whisky]

[brendianer]

Filled May 11th 2021... #arran #lochranzadistillery #lochranza #whisky #whiskylove #whiskycollection #whiskylovers #brenden #swissmeteo #appenzell #alpstein #switzerland #pfeffermintze #brendianer #likethatview #goodmorningpost #newday #landscapephotography #prettysky #ortderliebe #ortderlust (at Lochranza Distillery Visitor Centre) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfZytZEKxRD/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[badlypackedtraveller]

Shagging the window cleaner.

Before we leave this area there are two further landmarks we must visit: the Mull of Kintyre and Machrihanish. Mull of Kintyre, even writing it evokes thoughts of Wings’ awful dirge cribbed from the Skye Boat Song. Sold nine million-and-a-bit copies, so what do I know. However, more great roads lead us to the end of the road.

En route, at Seal View we pass what looks like the hotel out of The Shining. There’s a great story that a local bought it cheap, has no money but is renovating it bit by bit. Double glazing windows are fitted which coincidentally and conveniently are the exact same size as those that should have been fitted to council houses in the area. A bit further up the road at Carskey we are delayed slightly whilst waiting for the opportune moment to pass some very large black bulls making their way from one pasture to another. The aroma of belching and farting beasts wafts towards me. I hope it’s not coming from Phil but I can’t be 100% sure.

RAF Machrihanish:  I was here for three weeks in horizontal rain in November/December 1984, the only time I can remember having to work on my birthday. The payback was seven easy weeks at Nellis AFB, Nevada, on Operation Red Flag. You can easily find hints online that a garrison of US Navy Seals were based here at that time. Tough guys protecting something. Or not that tough as I well remember one of our Lineys squaring up to one and giving him a good kicking.

Machrihanish, population 300ish, has a world class golf course. At the Club House it was politely suggested, when enquiring as to the availability of a lunchtime snack, that the Congress Rough Riders might get a better reception at cafe at the other end of the carpark. We take their advice and meet Lorna who we guess, from the electricity palpable in the air, may or may not be shagging the window cleaner while her husband works away in the Middle East. Our bet is on “may”.

Claonaig, Skipness (where the sign in the abandoned Post Office warns people against drinking the contaminated water supply) and Arran.

Arran is Scotland in miniature with a choice of three roads, two distilleries, one Indian takeaway and a hostel. We decide to ride all the roads, visit the Lochranza distillery, eat Indian and check in at the hostel in Kilmory where Elena is perfectly friendly and perfectly polite for just as long as it takes to get us checked in, and no more. Job done Elena immediately departs never to be seen again. The shop has an honesty box.

At the hostel I help myself to a book from the swap-shelf: stories about Scotland’s unique Not Proven verdict in court. That is, we know you did it but we can’t prove it. On Arran the Goatfell murder of 15/7/1889 still rankles. John Annandale/Watson/Laurie shoved Edwin Rose off the mountain to his death. So much circumstantial evidence pointed the finger of suspicion and guilt at Laurie but without hard evidence he walked free. Edwin Rose is buried in a neglected grave in the Glan Sannox Kirkyard.

On the road that crosses the Island from west to east we flash past what looks like a sign for a Chinese food. This time we are not going to miss the chance of good food in strange places (see blog for July 25th 2021) so backtrack only to find that it is, in fact a Buddhist centre closed to host a conference/retreat.

[bilb0]

Et aussi un fameux #whisky #singlemalt à la distillerie de #Lochranza 😊😉 #arran #isle (à Lochranza) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw7NFRtF15QrZf0WBYyFr2fyMYmmK7g6ZdHuIo0/?igshid=1xoc9i4ql53zq

[goodspiritsnewsat]

GSN Review: Arran 25-Year-Old Single Malt

Isle of Arran Distillers announce the U.S. release of the oldest expression in its core range, the Arran 25-Year-Old Single Malt. From the Isle of Arran, off the Western coast of Scotland, and produced at the Lochranza Distillery, the Arran 25-Year-Old Single Malt has been maturing in ex-Sherry and Bourbon Casks that were first laid down in 1995, the same year Arran began production. A…

[thewhiskyphiles]

Arran 21 Years Old 1996 The Single Cask (52.1%, Claxton's, Sherry Puncheon #1843-939, 609 Bottles, 2018)

Arran 21 Years Old 1996 The Single Cask (52.1%, Claxton's, Sherry Puncheon #1843-939, 609 Bottles, 2018) #Arran #whisky #review @claxtonsspirits

Arran 21 Years Old 1996 The Single Cask Whisky Review

ABV: 52.1%

Age: 21 Years Old

Bottling: Claxton’s, The Single Cask, Sherry Puncheon #1843-939, 609 Bottles

Category: Island single malt scotch whisky

Cost: £94.98

Origin: Arran Distillery

Vintage: 1996

What they say

A Claxton’s bottling of 21 year old Arran single malt, drawn from a single sherry puncheon which was laid down back in…