ISLANDS
Arran 21 Year Old Kildonan & Pladda Island | The Explorers Series Volume 3 | 70cl, 50.4% ABV
Perfect for Arran collectors and fans of the Explorers Series seeking a rare, richly matured expression inspired by the island's coastline.
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The third chapter in Arran's celebrated Explorers Series, Kildonan & Pladda Island is a 21-year-old single malt of exceptional complexity, matured in one of the most ambitious and diverse cask combinations the distillery has yet assembled. Sherry butts, puncheons, and Ruby Port pipes have all played their part in shaping this whisky over two decades, creating what Arran's own distillers describe as a truly multi-layered dram — and it is a description that feels entirely justified.
With Volume 4 of the Explorers Series now released and the collection complete, Volume 3 takes on an added significance for collectors looking to assemble the full set. At 21 years old and drawing on three distinctive cask types, this is the most complex expression in the series to date — a whisky that rewards time in the glass and reveals something new with every sip.
The bottle and presentation tin are adorned with a beautifully illustrated view from the hills above the village of Kildonan, looking out across the water towards Pladda Island — one of Arran's most breathtaking coastal vistas and a fitting subject for a whisky of this quality and character. Limited to just 9,000 bottles worldwide, this is both a collector's treasure and a genuine celebration of Arran's island beauty and whisky-making excellence.
Colour
Colour: Deep, rich amber with ruby-tinged hues, reflecting the influence of port pipes alongside the sherry casks
Nose
Nose: Rich and wonderfully complex, with layers of dried fruit, dark cherry, and Oloroso sherry sweetness, lifted by the vibrant red fruit and berry character of the Ruby Port pipes. Hints of dark chocolate, warm spice, and toasted oak develop with time in the glass.
Palate
Palate: Full and multi-layered, opening with stewed fruit and rich sherry sweetness before the Ruby Port influence delivers a vivid wave of dark cherry, plum, and red berry fruit. Cinnamon, clove, and dark chocolate develop through the middle, underpinned by a firm but elegant oak structure built over two decades of careful maturation across three cask types.
Finish
Finish: Long, warming, and deeply satisfying, with lingering dark fruit, spice, and a final flourish of port-influenced sweetness and gentle toasted oak.
Arran
Founded 1994
The Isle of Arran has played host to many distilleries, mostly illicit and the last legal distillery closed in 1835. What is surprising is that it took until 1995 for a still to run again as the Arran distillery at Lochranza came online. Financed mostly by Harold Currie who had retired from Chivas, the team also sought investment from 2000 investors who gave up £450 for a share of future whiskies. Many of whom turned up for the official opening, including a descendent of the last person to be killed on Arran for distilling illegally. Since the initial days, Arran distillery has prospered thanks to an array of cask types and special editions. The whisky, in time, has come of age and growing demand meant an expansion in 2017, with a new pair of stills. Things went even further in 2019 when a second distillery (Lagg) was established at the southern end of Arran.
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