Ailsa Bay Single Malt Whisky

The review transferred over from the Barreled App: It's now time for another special dram that isn't available in the U.S: Ailsa Bay Peated Lowland single malt. This is a newer distillery located in the Lowland region of Scotland and was built in 2007 by William Grant & Sons. It was built to help supply single malt scotch to WG&S for their blended scotch offerings. The stills are copies of the ones that Balvenie uses and it is believed they built this facility to lessen their need for Balvenie malts for their blends. However, for 2 weeks a year they distill a peated single malt and have decided to bottle this under their own brand name. This is the first bottling and I believe this was distilled in 2011/2012, thus making this only 3-4 years of age. Near the bare minimum time required to call it a scotch whisky. It comes in at a nice 97.8 proof and I believe a bottle runs about $55 over in the U.K. and Western Europe. Like most peated and Lowland malts it is very light in color. It produces very thin legs in the tasting glass and upon nosing it there is a nice burst of grassy, earthy peat. The medicinal "band aid" and briny sea salts are unexpectedly missing, but it doesn't take away from the taste at all. In fact, it's quite eye-opening. There's also a nice, floral aspect keeping the overall impression very light and airy. Surprisingly, for a whisky this young I don't get much oak barrel. Interesting. The first sip is actually quite decadent. There's a strong hit from the peat and a pleasant pop of toasted almonds to go along with the fresh oak. It's a lively dram (as it should be) and all those flavors really flow into the long, warm finish. It's not overpowering despite being almost 100 proof, but it isn't butter smooth either. Very solid execution. With this being a Lowland whisky it really shocks me that such a great flavor profile is coming from a distillery this new. Hats off to the head distiller here. Well done. I have to hope that production ramps up enough to where some of this gets shipped over seas and remains relatively cheap. I would certainly buy a bottle of this for those times I want a peated whisky without the heavy feel of a Laphroiag or an Ardbeg malt. A big thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for sending me a pour of this back in 2016. He is also providing another pour of this for the guys in the SDT in the final round, I believe. Cheers.

Stop number 85 on the SDT is Ailsa Bay. This single malt newcomer to the Lowland region is actually owned by Girvan and the entire distillery is located within the Girvan facility. Ailsa Bay was created mostly to be used in blends so that Balvenie could be freed up for more single malt releases. This NAS is their inaugural release and is peated to a level of 21ppm. Bottled at 48.9% ABV and is most likely non chill filtered and natural color of golden straw. Matured in a combination of refill American oak, first fill bourbon and smaller barrels (possibly quarter casks) to speed maturation. The nose is sweet lemony peat smoke, typical of many young bourbon matured scotches. Smoky lemon bars dusted with powdered sugar. Lots of melted butter drizzled over dried apricots and tangerines. Chimney ashes, a mix of fresh cut oak and pine, vanilla custard, buttercream and faint caramel apples. The palate hits hard initially with strong smoky pepper and sharp oak. More smoky than peaty. Light lemons and vanilla, white grapes, plums and faint almonds. Ashes and campfire remnants. Not much else sadly. A fairly simple palate. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is fairly dry. The finish is long and short. Everything but the smoke is pretty much gone a few seconds after you swallow it, but the smoke lingers on a while. This needs a few more years in the cask, but it shows promise. Not very complex and the palate and finish leave much to be desired. It’s also on the pricy side for what you get. At $65 (plus international shipping as this isn’t available in the US), it’s not a great buy when you can get a good Kilchoman or BenRiach for the same price and get better quality. 3.25 and a thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for the sample. Cheers

Thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for the sample of this inaugural release from a new distillery, which I thought was magical. Scotch's ineffable magic lies in its slow maturation, and the industry's greatest strength --as well as its greatest weakness -- similarly lies in the glacial pace at which it changes. A handful of distilleries, however, have recently opened and are more open to trying innovative methods of production or aging. Ailsa Bay is one of those distilleries, and this 2016 first release featured a few twists on the age-old formula. First, the distillery identified the exact parts per million not just of peat but also of "sweet," a proprietary measurement that Ailsa Bay developed. This one is 21 ppm peat, 11 ppm sweet. Second, the distillery aged its distillate initially in very small bourbon casks to speed up the maturation process and impart flavor more quickly. The results . . . are amazing. I'm instantly vaulting this distillery up there with Kilchoman as my favorite new-age whiskymaker. I didn't realize that this was a peated scotch before I caught its scent, but instantly I recognized that alluring mixture of earthy gravel, coffee, and sweet cream as the quintessential nose for a mainland peated scotch. Its palate features sweet cereal, honey, mild herbal peat, cinnamon, and a light floral touch. Its finish is floral as well, well-balanced, with a healthy measure of toasted oak. I can't wait to see more from this distillery.

Posting this review from a bottle I had late last year. I actually bought two bottles of this last year...one for me, and one as a gift to my finance person that manages my stock portfolio. It turns out I never gave it to her...because I couldn't understand why I made a loss when the entire freakin' market went full throttle bull. But, that's a rant for another day...and I'll need more than a few drams for that discussion... Anyway...I really enjoyed this one. I remember liking how it was able to balance peat, crisp lowland sweetness and character, and wood...all the while being only three years old. This is their inaugural release, and they did a bang up job, IMHO. I remember liking the aroma of citrus and ginger, and the fresh crisp citrus taste with a good kick of peat smoke. It's young...but, really well made. I'm already keeping an eye out for their future release...this, along with Kilchoman, are my favorite newbies (although, in all fairness, Kilchoman is no longer a newbie). This isn't available in the US (yet)----I don't believe it was made in sufficient quantity for overseas. But, I'd be surprised if their future releases don't have the world's largest drinks market in sight.

In the glass, the pale straw color liquid noses initially sweet with fresh ginger and wafts of ash. Over time, the ashy character fades reveals a rubber or new vinyl characteristic, like that new, cheap sneaker smell. The palate is dry and slightly slick. Mineral overtone with flashes of vanilla sweetness countered with a synthetic, petroleum undertone. A youngness is revealed with a bit of a bite. What remains on the palate is oak and black pepper leaving the mouth with a minty sensation with a touch of lemon bitterness and a tinge of charcoal. A small amount of water minimizes the bite and spice and brings forward the sweeter side. However, adding water diminishes the character of the whisky. In my opinion, this is a better dram without any water or, if neeeded, a tiny drop or two. This is a whisky that feels slightly young; like a teenager and is still forming a character. It lacks a "natural" feel. Almost engineered. But that strangely gives the whisky a unique character. Thanks again, Pranay! [Dry Glass: Ash and vanilla][86/100][Tasted: 12/9/16]

Late spring into summer has been...busy, to say the least. Now that the garden is thriving and my kiddo’s back in daycare 1-2 days a week, I finally have the mental energy to start approaching some new drams. This one, generously shared with me by @PBMichiganWolverine, is an intriguing one. “Peated” and “Lowland” - not descriptors that typically go together, and yet Ailsa Bay manages to dovetail two seemingly disparate styles. Quintessential Lowland traits - lightness, dryness, tree fruit notes - aren’t overwhelmed by the ashy peat, citrus, and salinity that would not be out of place on Islay. While clearly young, this whisky still manages to walk the tightrope. I’m eager to see what more time in the barrel can do here, but this isn’t a bad first release at all.