Isle of Arran 1997/2024 - 27 yo - Refill Sherry Butt #242 - Murray McDavid

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 51.3% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

This Arran comes from a single refill Sherry butt in Murray McDavid’s Mission Gold series. Distilled in 1997, the whisky spent 27 years in cask 242; in 2024, 400 bottles were filled at 51.3%. It is not chill-filtered and contains no added colour. The 0.7-litre bottle comes in gift packaging.

The previously used Sherry butt lends fruit and cask spice to this mature island malt. Fruit pastry, fresh fruit, buttery malt and a floral note sit alongside malty sweetness, baked apricot and citrus. On the finish, pepper, lemon peel and sweet oak come together with a dry note.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose offers fresh fruit pastry, buttery malt and a floral note of honeysuckle, alongside ripe cherries.
• Palate: On the palate, barley sugar and baked apricots combine with lively citrus notes. The whisky has a velvety texture.
• Finish: The finish is long, with subtle pepper spice, lemon peel and sweet oak fading to a dry close.

Distillery/Bottler:

Harold “Hal” Currie founded the distillery in Lochranza, in the north of the Isle of Arran. Spirit first flowed there on 29 June 1995. The independent Isle of Arran Distillers Ltd also operates Lagg, which opened in the south of the island in 2019. Lochranza produces this Arran whisky, while Lagg makes a peated single malt.

Independent bottler Murray McDavid was founded in 1994 by Mark Reynier, Simon Coughlin and Gordon Wright. The company made the selection of different maturation casks, including wine casks, an important part of its work. It is now based at Coleburn Distillery in Speyside; Mission Gold is its range of rare and older whiskies.

Facts: