The Devil’s Casks-series from Bowmore might’ve caused more of a frenzy, but Arran was actually first in choosing a devilish theme for a trio of special releases. Their Devil’s Punch Bowl-whiskies are highly sought after in their own right. So when Christof of gedeeldevreugde.be recently opened his trio of bottles, I was quick to purchase some samples.
Today I’ll review the first chapter of Arran’s very succesful set of Devil-whiskies. Later this week I’ll also post my thoughts on numbers two and three.
Arran The Devil’s Punch Bowl (52,3%, OB, 6660 bts.)
Nose: It is ever transforming. First peanuts, oak and wood shavings. Than some light citrus and orange. It finishes with more classic sherry sweetness, albeit very subtle. Light caramel, brown sugar and fudge. Almost no peat or smoke to be detected.
Taste: Oak, some tannins. A bit dry and a slight bitterness. Also some smoke, but not much. Dark spices are present with cloves and nutmeg. Also honey and baked appled, a bit of lemon zest. All in all very enjoyable, but a bit too woody.
Finish: Medium in length. Sweet, oaky and spicy.
Rating: 87
A very enjoyable whisky with some nice, subtle aromas and flavours. A good job of blending the sherry and bourbon casks. An easy drinker as well. I can’t say that I really understand why everybody went all gaga over this one, but it is a well crafted whisky indeed.
