Isle of Arran Distillers has released the second expression in its Smugglers’ Series of single malts, designed to celebrate Arran’s whisky-making heritage.
Smugglers’ Series Vol 2 ‘The High Seas’ is a no-age-statement marriage of rum cask-matured whisky with peated spirit and malt matured in first-fill Bourbon barrels.
Designed to honour the history of Arran’s illicit whisky trade up the Clyde to Glasgow, the packaging mimics a hardbound book with a cut-out compartment concealing the bottle – a tribute to the hiding-places traditionally used to smuggle whisky in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The use of rum casks is designed to serve as recognition of Arran’s historic importance in the trade of diverse black-market liquor, the distillery said.
‘Smugglers’ Vol 1 “The Illicit Stills” was a tremendous success, selling out within days,’ said James MacTaggart, Isle of Arran distillery master distiller.
‘As the first legal distillery on the island in over 160 years, we draw a great deal of inspiration from Arran’s whisky-making heritage.’
Isle of Arran Smugglers’ Series Vol 2 ‘The High Seas’ is bottled at its natural cask strength of 55.4% abv, with only 8,700 bottles available worldwide from whisky retailers and arranwhisky.com, priced at £86.99 (UK RSP).
