Arran 1998 WhB

Island of Arran Distillers has operated two distilleries on the Isle of Arran since March 2019: the original Lochranza Distillery, which has been in continuous operation since 1995, and the new Lagg Distillery located in the southern part of the island. The Lochranza facility is currently Scotland's most visited distillery, attracting over 100,000 visitors annually. With the addition of Lagg, the company aimed to surpass 200,000 combined visitors per year by 2020. The Lochranza Distillery is equipped with one 2.5-ton wash still, six Oregon pine washbacks with an average fermentation time of 60 hours, and four new spirit stills. In 2019, the distillery planned to produce 450,000 liters of new make spirit, a reduction of 150,000 liters from the previous year. This decrease resulted from the strategic transfer of 250,000 liters of peated whisky production allocation to Lagg Distillery. In Autumn 2019, Arran underwent a comprehensive rebranding of its core range, introducing new bottle designs and labels. The new core expressions include 10 Year Old, 18 Year Old, 21 Year Old, and Barrel Reserve (previously Lochranza Reserve). The portfolio also features The Bothy Quarter Cask at 56.2% ABV and The Bodega Sherry Cask at 55.8% ABV. Arran's peated offerings include Machrie Moor and Machrie Moor Cask Strength. The 14 Year Old expression was temporarily discontinued in Autumn 2019 but is slated for future return. Arran's limited edition wine cask finishes include Amarone, Port, Sauternes, and Marsala cask expressions, alongside annual single cask releases matured in either bourbon or sherry casks. The third and final release in the Smuggler's Edition series, The Exciseman, launched in July 2017. In October 2017, a special edition was released to commemorate distillery manager James MacTaggart's 10th anniversary. June 2018 saw the launch of Brodick Bay, a 20-year-old expression and the first in the Explorer's Series. Spring 2019 introduced Lochranza Castle, a 21-year-old whisky matured in sherry butts and finished in Amontillado sherry casks.