A relatively recent addition to Scotland’s whisky-making scene, Arran distillery began producing in 1995. Arran is an island found on Scotland’s West Coast, tucked just inside Campbeltown. It was once home to over 50 distilleries, but like Campbeltown, its whisky industry saw a dramatic collapse.

Being an island distillery, many drinkers thought Arran would produce peated spirit. Instead, they chose to produce a malty, fruity style, rather like many Highland drams. Only recently have they added a few peated drams to their range. Arran claims to use the purest water of any Scottish distillery, drawing their H2O from Loch Na Davie.

This expression takes inspiration from the mystical area of the island known as Machrie Moor. Bronze Age stone circles and standing stones are strewn across its barren, undulating terrain. One of the stone circles is known as Fingal’s Cauldron Seat, where sits a stone with a carved hole. The legendary warrior giant Fingal is said to have tethered his favourite dog Bran to this stone. Motifs of all these historically significant stories adorn this intriguing bottling from the Lochranza Distillery.