The Isle of Arran Distillery has today announced the release of its first White Stag bottling. Chosen by a panel comprised of White Stag members, only 214 bottles are available worldwide.
In January of this year, a panel of White Stag members gathered in Oran Mor in Glasgow to taste five cask samples. The 10 members of the panel selected the cask without any input from the distillery team, with their comments forming the tasting notes for the malt. After a spirited evening, the Sherry Hogshead 97/737 was selected. Turning 18 Years old on the May 23, this first White Stag bottling will be available online from the 15th June.
The tasting notes for this Single Malt promise an enticing dram: A warm and buttery nose with a subtle pear note, nuances of vanilla, marzipan and apricots lead to a smooth palate of chocolate mousse and toasted marshmallows. With a deep finish of chilli and dark chocolate, this complex dram enjoys the Arran hallmarks of citrus and honey making for a strong and rounded experience enhanced by few drops of water.
The White Stags are an online community open to all lovers of the Isle of Arran’s single malts. Free to sign up, it has become a thriving online forum with members travelling across the world to meet up for tastings and events. Members also receive the quarterly White Stage Gazette and access to password protected pages with extra tasting notes and advance previews on all Isle of Arran bottlings.
To get their hands on a bottle of this exclusive release, whisky fans will need to join the White Stag club online where they will find the coupon code needed to complete check out in the Arran Whisky shop. The bottling will not be available anywhere else. It arrives just as the White Stag club is re-launched with a new logo and calendar of events.
Retailing at £95, and with the bottle proudly emblazoned with the names of those who selected it, the distillery hopes for this to be the first of many White Stag bottlings inspired but their passionate community. Demand is expected to be high.
1 June 2015 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor