Speyburn Arranta Cask Scotch Whisky

Banana bread

Tonight’s dram takes me (virtually) to the Speyburn distillery in the Speyside region of Scotland. The Arranta (Gaelic for intrepid and daring) Cask opens with Nilla wafers, banana bread, vanilla bean, honeycomb, and English walnuts; followed by cinnamon, nutmeg, orange crème soda, and milk chocolate; evolving to butterscotch, creamy caramel, lightly-charred oak, a pinch of lemon zest, and toasted coconut; then back to the banana bread and walnuts. Thick-clingy legs and crème soda mouthfeel deliver a long banana bready nutty finish. This is a well-balanced relatively-complex change-of-taste dram with a unique flavor profile, at a budget price. If you’re hungry for banana bread, but don’t want to bake, pour this dram and enjoy. Drink slow, drink long, drink a variety, drink often.