New packaging and new additions transform island whisky range
ISLE of Arran Distillers – the independent whisky company operating two distilleries on Arran – has completely overhauled its core product range with a new look and two new expressions.
As a company we have grown immensely since I joined the team over 12 years ago.
The new packaging for the range emphasises that the whisky has been distilled at the company’s Lochranza distillery, an important distinction now that the business also operates a distillery at Lagg in the south of the island. Lagg was completed earlier this year, with production commencing in March and the doors opening to the public in June.
A ripple design on the neck of the new Arran bottles represents the journey taken by the water used to distil at Lochranza, which moves through a series of six mountain waterfalls – a process which is said to purify it.
The updated logo is in the shape of Arran itself and includes a pair of eagles; the image is a reference to the pair of birds that interrupted the construction of the Lochranza distillery in 1994 with their nesting and which have remained in residence ever since.
The company selected natural colour tones and delicate foiling for the new packaging, in order to achieve what it described as “a consistent look and feel that keeps simplicity at the core”.
Isle of Arran Distillers has dubbed the redesign project A Breath of Fresh Arran.
In addition to the new-look packaging, the core range has also been expanded with the introduction of two new expressions.
Barrel Reserve is described as having a “light, flexible and fruity character” while The Bodega is a cask-strength, sherry-matured spirit which partners the distillery’s established Quarter Cask expression.
They join Arran’s 10 year old expression in the core range.
Those four bottlings are launched this month and will be joined by repackaged versions of the distillery’s 18 and 21 year old expressions in October.
The liquid in the established expressions is said to be unchanged despite the redesign.
“As a company, we have grown immensely since I joined the team over 12 years ago,” said James MacTaggart, master blender at Isle of Arran Distillers.
We’ve taken inspiration from the elements that make Lochranza so special to produce a unique pack.
“We were one of the first wave of new distillers back in the early 1990s and in June this year, we started a new chapter in our story with the opening of our second distillery at Lagg.
“It felt like the right time to make the clear distinction between the unique and very different spirits produced at each of our island homes.
“We’ve taken inspiration from the elements that make Lochranza so special to produce a unique and beautiful new pack, which does justice to the liquid it contains.
“We are very excited about the future of our original Arran single malt.”
