Aerstone Land Cask 10 Year

Review #010 Type: single malt scotch Proof: 40% Comments: aged 10 years, cask types not defined Tasted after: Aerstone Sea Cask 10 Year Appearance (no score): Auburn color. Swirling reveals a thin line sticking to the side of the glass, it starts to bead up quickly but legs are slow to form. Nose: 12/20 Not a lot going on here, campfire smoke, chalk, some hay, and maybe a little lemon citrus Palate: 30/40 Pretty mild and sweet on the palate, gentle smoke, cereal, honey, and lemon. Great combination of flavors without the harsh ethanol burn I’d typically expect from a whisky at this price point, but none of the flavors manage to pop. Finish: 32/40 Surprisingly long, mostly it’s highlighted by intensifying smoke, introduces some clove spice, and the lingering taste in my mouth is of black licorice. With Water: A drop of water kicks the finish up a notch, a little extra spice, and an underlying subtle salt profile that wasn’t there prior. Total: 74/100 Final thoughts: Rolled the dice on this bottle, for the price it seemed worth the risk, and while it’s very easy to drink and I don’t regret buying it, it’s also unfortunately unremarkable. Price: $25 Would recommend: maybe Would buy: maybe Scoring Legend: 96-100: The perfect dram, absolutely exceptional, nectar of the gods, I will savor this bottle and make it last, 5 stars. 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky, 4.75 stars. 85-89: Very good to amazing, almost the complete product, 4.5 stars. 80-84: Quite good, very enjoyable to drink, but doesn’t wow me, 4.25 stars. 75-79: Good, enjoyable but ultimately flawed, unlikely to purchase again, 4 stars. 70-74: A solid dram, but wouldn't go out of my way to get it, 3.75 stars. 55-69: Drinkable, 3.5-2.75 stars. Below 55: Suitable for cooking or direct contribution to the kitchen sink drain, 2.5 stars or less.

Nose: Soft autumnal peat smoke with woody and vanilla overtones. There is a maritime quality but it’s certainly not “medicinal” or iodine-tinged. Maybe it’s actually more of a farmyard quality. Hmm. Ok, it’s a creosote-soaked driftwood barbecue fire on a farm by the sea shore. Palate: Briny on the arrival, turning surprisingly sweet as it develops with vanilla and honey clearly noticeable. Light, smoky, but like the nose it’s not at all medicinal and totally unlike an Islay peat flavour. Fruit, barley-sugar, butterscotch and that same autumn-dusk tinged woody character. The texture is agreeably soft with just a touch of brine. Finish: Short. Soft, sweet fruity smoke that drifts off and quickly dissipates. I have to confess I was not expecting much from this whisky but it was surprisingly satisfying and enjoyable. It’s not a coastal smoky whisky at all – banish any thoughts of Islay, Mull or Skye from your mind. The most similar whisky I can think of would be Ardmore however this is from a lowland distillery (the official Distiller scope notes do not mention it, but this is from Ailsa Bay distillery, located at the Girvan plant in Ayrshire). This is a pleasant dram, but the official Distiller rating is far too high and the official tasting notes are absurd. It’s nothing earth-shattering - just an agreeably mild (in fact very mild) lower-shelf peated whisky. It good for the inexpensive price point and a good introduction to the style for novices. More experienced whisky enthusiasts should try a pour before buying as it may seem a little tame or even watery to them. Tasted from a 30ml sample (thank you @KT66) “Average” : 75/100 (2.5 stars)

Nose: Heavily charred smoke, burnt plastic, melted rubber, ash, old and bitter oak barrel. At least there's malt in there too and no ethanol burn to speak of. Not a terrible nose, but one that has me wondering what the heck they were trying to do here. Taste: Unfortunately, a complete copy of the nose. Once again I'm puzzled about the idea behind this ridiculous palate. It's nothing like the good peated malts out there. There's nothing in common with Islands or Islay here, but I'd like to think that most Highland peat lovers wouldn't or indeed shouldn't enjoy this either. Once again, at least this is decently aged and there's no hard ethanol burn. Finish: Too long, considering the wretched palate. I'm tempted to rinse my throat as fast as possible after tasting this. Once again, it's not because of poor quality, but all due to the awful profile of this absolutely puzzling malt. Final thoughts: I was wondering why this scored 2/10 on Malt Review and now I know. I personally wouldn't rate it anywhere that low, as that would mean it's undrinkable. It's not undrinkable at all. In fact, I've met some questionable personalities who claimed they actually enjoyed this whisky. They do exist. Just take a look around here. However, if you truly value and respect your own palate, then please stay away from this experiment. I'm aware that Grant's wanted this whisky to "demystify" peat for beginners, but I honestly can't think of a worse way to actually push beginners away from the wonderful world of scotch peat, than Land Cask.

A deep straw that looks surprisingly oily with a swirl. Pedestrian nose, nothing jumps out. Gentle simple syrup, a freshly snapped green bean, hay - maybe a hint of orange. A burning grassland smoke makes a slow and subtle takeover toward the end. Some loam and chalk. Appreciating the nose a bit more than I did at first, but still ok at best. Starts very unassertive without much sweetness. Builds into a gentle vegetal spice which lingers pleasantly while the peat slowly rolls in like fog in the valley. Lemon oil. Earth. Some sips flash a bit sweeter, but only noticeable given the usual absence. This one is a bit perplexing. Mild and unassuming but competently crafted. Unremarkable yet lacks defects. I find myself reaching for this more than expected: a sessionable peated dram. The lack of sweetness without being “dry” or “tannic” is both the biggest oddity and most compelling facet because it feels like a rarity. 80 proof feels correct - it hasn’t got the DNA to be a complex flavor bomb… just a really decent option for an any-day sipper. At $30 MSRP it’s a reasonable value - I don’t think there is any competition that does peat this well. I saw this on sale at Total Wine for $23 and should have bought a case in hindsight - it’s just nice to have on hand.

This is in no way a blow your mind whisky. It is however a solid one that has become my peated daily drinker since Islay and Island prices are going higher and higher. The idea of an lowland whisky with peat was intriguing. Yes AnCnoc cutter but it's also a $70 price tag, Ailsa Bay never saw it on my shelves to buy it. Enter Aerstone which is an expression from Ailsa Bay distillery. Nose is highland smoke which bring with some floral and light vegetal tones, honey, unripe pear and nectarine, vanilla, touch of peach and lemon in the back along with the typical malt that comes across almost as a funk on lowlands. Taste is the honey sweet, fruit and malt notes. Mid palate the smoke and light almost toasted wood comes into it's own. End of palate carrying into the finish is a ginger spiciness and the finish ends with wisps of smoke, honey and sweet black licorice. Only other lowland that I really enjoy is the Auchentoshan american oak but this one has become number one especially for the cost to whisky and enjoyment ratio.

Here is another inexpensive smoky scotch thats decent. Poured neat/couple drops nose is packing tape, resin smoke and saline with a pinch of red fruit and oak. Palate brings lots of pink erasers, damp smoke(blast after water thrown on burning plastic) and some sweet malt colored with vegetative notes, think broccoli/brussel. Finish is somewhat bitter but salty smoke and sweet cigar tobacco last long enough to offset. This is a different profile from many smoky Islay scotches but doesnt have enough depth or flavor power to really register. At the price point its interesting but I would not repurchase.....76/100.....I prefer a traditional peated track such as Shieldaig or Ardmore for my bargain smoker