Arran Smugglers’ Series - Volume One ‘The Illicit Stills' (70cl, 56.4%)

Arran Smugglers’ Series - Volume One ‘The Illicit Stills' is a whisky from Arran (Islands). Bottled at 56.4% ABV, 70cl. Situated in the Firth of Clyde, the island of Arran was once a hotbed of illicit distillation and smuggling. Eventually though the dreaded Excise men got the best of Arran’s renegade stillmen, and the island was without a working distillery from 1837. That all changed in 1995 when the Arran distillery at Lochranza started production. Although it is a relative youngster, Arran’s investment in quality casks has paid dividends, and its popularity continues to soar like the Golden Eagles that nest nearby. This quick success, combined with high visitor numbers at the Lochranza distillery, have enabled the company to construct another distillery at Lagg, on the south of the island, that will focus on creating peated whisky. The Illicit Stills is the first of a trilogy of three limited edition Arran Malts which are a nod to the rich history of whisky distillation on Arran and form The Smugglers’ series. With the Smugglers’ Series Vol. I ‘The Illicit Stills’ Arran pays homage to its forebears with a dram of robust body and a heavier peat influence more redolent of the whisky produced on the island in days gone by. Volume One ‘The Illicit Stills’