Speyburn Arranta Cask Review
In-Depth Review
Speyburn is a distillery that has been known for consistently releasing solid, lower price single malt scotches for years. Their core range includes 10, 15, 18 year expressions as well as the non-age stated Braden Orach that I reviewed earlier this year. Located in the heart of Speyside - near the banks of the River Spey - Speyburn is - in many ways - what a classic Speyside distillery has always been about; making good, affordable, approachable version of scotch whisky.
Today, we are going to dive into their Arranta Cask expression that features whiskies exclusively aged in first fill ex-bourbon casks and is bottled as only for the USA. Speyburn says these casks were hand picked and created for “the intrepid and daring whisky love”. Bottled at a solid 46% ABV and featuring an extremely reasonable MSRP of around $35, this could be a compelling offering for those looking for a single malt that won’t break the bank. Let’s just jump straight in and see how well this expression delivers!
Age: Non-Age Stated
ABV: 46%
Cask: First Fill Ex-Bourbon
MSRP: $35
Distillery Name: Speyburn
Review Date: 3/19/24
Color: 14 Karat Gold
Nose: Putting your nose in the glass, you’re immediately hit by all that ex-bourbon cask influence. Creamy vanilla, toffee, orange creamsicle, and lots of honey jump from the glass. There’s a bit of green grass and mulchy earth, but overall, the nose here is pleasant and vastly more complex than the Speyburn Braden Orach I recently reviewed.
Palate: The first sip gave a bit more ethanol than I was expecting, but it quickly subsides into a sweet and honey character full of lemon zest, orange soda, heather, and tropical notes like coconut and mango. More green grass and grain, it feels like there is quite a bit of young whiskey thrown in here as well. The mouthfeel is fine, but nothing to write home about.
Finish: Short to medium length finish features bitter chocolate, orange and black pepper that lingers on the front of the tongue. The 46% helps the overall experience, but the finish remains the weakest part of this pour.
Final Thoughts: Speyburn’s Arranta Cask expression is an excellent example of a bottle that’s a great value without being a great whisky. While completely serviceable, nothing really about this classic speysider stands out. The nose is likely the best part here, with a great 46% ABV helping give it a little bit of oomph. Today, it’s hard to find any good single malt scotch left on shelves in the $30-40 range and if you’re looking for an easy drinking, ex-bourbon speysider, you could do much worse than this. I appreciate that Speyburn is still cranking out a collection of solid expressions at lower price points, and would recommend this Arranta Cask expression over their Braden Orach expression any day of the week.
