Arran 1998 SMWS 121.69

Category - Single Malt

Distillery - Arran

Bottler - The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS)

Bottling series - Bitter-sweet roller-coaster

Vintage - 31.12.1998

Bottled - 2013

Stated Age - 14 years

Cask Type - Refill Ex-Bourbon Barrel

Cask number - 121.69

Number of bottles - 198

Strength - 55.8 %

Size - 700 ml

Arran 1998 – SMWS 121.69“Bitter‑sweet roller‑coaster”

Islands • Refill Ex‑Bourbon Barrel • 14 Years • 55.8% ABV • 198 bottles

Appearance - Sandy yellow‑gold, bright and lively, with a light, fast‑moving viscosity.

Nose - The SMWS panel describes it as “bitter‑sweet – marzipan, iced sponge‑cake and sherbet… sharpened by bitter lemon, blackcurrant, apple and apricot… paint, hops, soft leather and sun‑bleached wood.”

Expanded into full sensory structure: Marzipan, iced sponge cake, sherbet, bitter lemon, blackcurrant, apple, apricot. Fresh hops. Soft leather, sun‑bleached wood, light oak. A complex, bright, slightly eccentric Arran nose

Palate - SMWS calls it “remarkable, lip‑smacking, mouth‑drawing citric astringency… lemon, grapefruit, blackcurrant, apple cores, sour plums… fruit pastilles, elderflower and honeysuckle.”

Lemon, grapefruit, sharp apple core, blackcurrant, sour plumsfruit pastilles, Turkish delight, Jaffa cakes (with water) - elderflower, honeysucklemouth‑watering, citric, bright, and energetic. A true bitter‑sweet roller‑coaster, exactly as the name promises.

With Water

Your tab notes: “a freshly painted bakery and a Persian rug shop… sweetness increased (Turkish Delight, Jaffa cakes)… still citric, damson and bramble.”

Painted bakery, Persian rugsTurkish delight, Jaffa cakes, damson, bramble. Still citric, but more rounded and expressive

Finish - Long, citric, and lightly drying. Grapefruit pith, apple skin, damson, bramble. A faint echo of leather, wood, and hops

Distilled: 31 December 1998

Age: 14 years

Cask: Refill ex‑bourbon barrel

ABV: 55.8%

Character: Bitter‑sweet • Citric • Fruity • Floral • Slightly savoury

Drinking Tip (SMWS): “To spark up a tired palate – or when looking for something quite different.”

A bitter‑sweet, citric Arran bursting with marzipan, sherbet, lemon, blackcurrant, and apricot. The palate is lip‑smacking and tart, with sour plums, fruit pastilles, elderflower, and honeysuckle, finishing long with damson, bramble, and citrus pith.