Arran

Arran distillery was built at Lochranza, in the north of the Isle of Arran, and began distilling in 1995. It was the first legal distillery on the island for well over a century. It is run by Isle of Arran Distillers, which also opened a second distillery, Lagg, in the south of the island for heavily peated spirit.

The Lochranza spirit is mostly unpeated, fruity and malty, with a clean, fresh character. Arran became known for bottling without chill filtration and without added colour, and for experimenting with cask finishes.

The core range includes the 10 year old and older ages up to the 21 Year Old, the Quarter Cask, and finishes such as Sauternes Cask and Port Cask. The Robert Burns Malt is a lighter, more affordable bottling, while The Devil's Punch Bowl series and single casks from the Malt & Music Festival appeal to collectors. Arran Gold is a cream liqueur rather than a whisky.

Arran is also bottled by independent bottlers, including Douglas Laing, Hunter Laing, Adelphi, That Boutique-y Whisky Company and smaller bottlers. These single casks and small batches are a good way to see how the young distillery's spirit develops at different ages.