Arran Amarone Cask
It should be no surprise to our frequent readers that we’ve tried our fair share of whiskies with different finishes. Finishing allows distilleries to impart a different set of flavors through aging the spirit in casks other than the usual ex-bourbon barrels. We’ve tried finishes with Sherry, Port, Rum, along with Shiraz, Madeira and Burgundy wines so far. We have a scotch with Cote du Rhone and Clos de Tart on the docket. Heck, the last Arran we reviewed had a Sauternes finish. Therefore, it may not surprise anyone greatly for us to be interested by this Arran aged in Amarone casks. We came by it honestly, though, through a tasting at Ace Spirit’s. The fact that the Arran Amarone stood out over several other whiskies should be enough to pique your interest, as it did ours.
Longrow Red 11 Year Shiraz Cask
Longrow is one of the three main divisions of Springbank and features their peated whiskies (the others are Springbank and Hazelburn). Furthermore, this is one of three Longrow offerings, always released at cask strength. The Red comes from the fact that a new red wine cask is used to finish the whisky every year. This particular release was aged in Australian Shiraz casks. We wanted to try the base model Longrow Red, as we did at a Merlin’s Rest Tasting last year, but it has sadly been discontinued. How will this one be different from the regular Longrow Red, and how will it compare to the other Campbeltown we’ve tried?
Scapa 16 Year
The Scapa distillery is one of the most northern distilleries in Scotland, located in the Orkney islands. It is also one of the smallest, with only three staff on site (the manager operates out of Speyside, and the distillery itself is part of the Chivas Brothers branch of Pernod Ricard). Sadly, the small staffing means the distillery is closed to the public. The distillery used to be larger and produce several different offerings. Currently, all production goes into making the Scapa 16 that was launched in 2009. What kind of spirit is produced in a land where it is almost always ever-day or ever-night?