Isle of Arran Distillers Unveils New Whiskies And Fresh Packaging

by Katelyn Best
October 4, 2019

Isle of Arran Distillers has a fresh new look and four new whiskies to go with it—two available last month, and two out in October.

According to a prepared statement, the new look has a name—”A Breath of Fresh Arran”—and the new labels are a indeed crisp, modern update from the rather stodgy feel of the old ones. As many distilleries are doing these days, the packaging also has a number of subtle references to Isle of Arran’s brand as a distillery.

The ripples in the glass itself “[reflect] the journey of the water source for the Arran Single Malts, which cascades through a series of six mountain waterfalls, each one purifying the water further,” and “emphasise [sic] the pure nature of the spirit.”

The label itself has a new icon, in copper foil, showing the shape of the actual island of Arran and featuring a pair of eagles; the birds are a nod to an actual pair of eagles who “prompted a break in construction back in 1994 when the distillery was being built and… have remained in residence for the past 25 years.”

The existing whiskies in the line up are unchanged, but several new expressions are rolling out. The Barrel Reserve, which “has a light, flexible and fruity character,” is non-age statement in nature (though information from the distillery indicates it “combines casks at 7 – 8 years old with older casks), bottled at 43% ABV and fully matured in first fill bourbon barrels. The Bodega, meanwhile, is a cask-strength (55.8% ABV), sherry-finished expression that is also non-age statement in nature, though it is said it was matured for some 7 years in first-fill sherry hogsheads.

In October, newly packaged 18- and 21-year-old age statement single malts will join the core range.

The redesign was inspired by the opening earlier this year of the modern-looking Lagg Distillery, the company’s second.

“As a company, we have grown immensely since I joined the team over 12 years ago,” said James MacTaggart, master blender at Isle of Arran. “We were one of the first wave of new distillers back in the early 1990s and in June this year, we started a new chapter in our story with the opening of our second distillery at Lagg.