Arran

The story of Arran whisky is very typically Scottish. Because it has to do with courage, assertiveness, a good dose of stubbornness and beautiful landscapes. And of course with Robert Burns. The distillery has permission from the Robert Burns World Federation to release its own whisky in the name of the Scottish poet. Planning for the Arran Distillery began in the early 1990s, a time when no one would have expected a new whisky distillery to be a success. Nobody except Harold J. Currie, who realised his dream of owning his own distillery. Production of the enormously fruity and citrusy Arran single malt whisky began in 1995. The independent, without colouring and usually bottled at 46% vol. or more single malt Scotch quickly burned its way into the hearts of whisky lovers. Today, we can only congratulate Arran Whisky on its success. The Lochranza Distillery, as it is known today, has already been expanded and its capacity increased. And Arran Distillers' second distillery, called Lagg, where smoky whisky is produced, has also already been launched. The future looks bright for Arran whiskies. And that makes us very happy, because the beautiful island of Arran also produceswonderful single malt!

Nothing against golden eagles, but...

Harold J. Currie had a dream. The dream of creating a new distillery of his own. A rather unrealistic idea in the 1980s, as distilleries were being closed en masse, not newly founded. But the friendly older gentleman, who was responsible for the fortunes of Chivas Regal, among other things, for many years as managing director of Seagram, realised his dream.
The Isle of Arran seemed to him to be the perfect location for his project. The island, which is said to be "all of Scotland in miniature", has good water and was once home to numerous distilleries.
At the beginning of the 1990s, everything had been planned and financed, everything was ready to go, there was great anticipation - and then the start of whisky production, which had been planned for 1994, was delayed by a whole year. Because a pair of protected eagles were nesting on the building...
Well, at least the Queen herself came to the opening of the Visitor Centre in 1997. Which made Harold Currie very proud.

What does Arran mean? Well, it's the name of the beautiful island.

Where is Arran? Lochranza Distillery, formerly Arran Distillery, is located in the small island village of Lochranza on the Isle of Arran. This in turn lies in the south-west of Scotland.

3 reasons to love the Isle of Arran

1) Because Harold J. Curie is a lovely man.
2) Because dreams can come true despite all obstacles.
3) Because Arran is made for a malt distillery.

What does Arran whisky taste like?

The Arran single malt matures quite quickly and has a lot to offer even at a young age. The combination of fresh, fruity citrus flavours on the one hand and dark spicy notes on the other is typical.

Our Arran recommendation

To get to know the Arran 10 year old, it offers a lot for the money. In our opinion, it is even one of the best standard bottlings in Scotland. You should definitely try it.

A little history on Arran

Harold J. Currie, former managing director of Seagram, built the distillery in Lochranza Bay in 1993 - around 150 years after the last distillery on the island, the "Lagg Distillery", had closed.
In 1994, production was due to start. However, there was a significant delay due to two breeding golden eagles.
The first whisky was produced on 29 June 1995, and a good three weeks later production was in full swing. The official opening of the distillery's Visitor Centre took place in 1997 by Queen Elizabeth II.
In 1998, the first limited edition bottling of a 3-year-old malt was released, which quickly became highly sought-after among collectors. A 4-year-old followed the next year and there is now a wealth of different distillery bottlings. The Arran Distillery is so popular and successful that the Lagg Distillery was even reopened in 2019. This is where the smoky Lagg single malt is produced today.

Figures & Facts about Arran Whisky

Address: Lochranza , Arran, Ayrshire , KA27 8HJ
Founded: 1993 by Harold J. Curie
Status: active
Owner: Isle of Arran Distillers (Harold J. Curie)
Capacity: approx. 1,200,000 litres
2 wash stills (7,100 l)
2 spirit stills (4,300 l)
Water: Loch na Davie
Visitor Centre: Yes
Phone: +44 (0)1770 / 830 254
Website: www.arranwhisky.com