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Ailsa Bay's whisky has had a bit of a redesign from its first release - in both the bottle and the whisky itself! For release 1.2, the smoky single malt made on the same site as Girvan is now smokier than before, as well as sweeter than its previous iteration. It's a well balanced and intriguing expression from the Lowlands.
Earthy smoke with a hint of campfire ember, sugary shortbread and soft apricot.
Vanilla pod, toasted cinnamon, soft orange sweetness and waves of dried peat.
Subtly peppery on the finish, though a hint of green apple persists.
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If you like peat malts but want to try something a little different, then I would highly recommend this. Its nice neat a lovely balance of smokey and sweet, its very subtle and delicate. I prefer it with ice as that intensifies the flavours, you get a bit more smoke punching through with lingering sweet notes. However if you leave the ice in too long the smoke will eventually dissipate, and the sweet notes erode away. It still leaves a decent whisky behind. But you should drink it before then.
As someone who loves peaty whisky, especially Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Lagavulin, I was pleasantly surprised with Ailsa Bay. While it says "sweat smoke", I find it less sweet than Lagavulin, which I prefer. Considering it does not have an age statement, it has a good balance of complexity and peat, rounding off nicely. It also is cheaper than Lagavulin, without compromising much.
Amazing on the nose but lacking on the palate—quite thin and not robust or with much character. I’d give the distillery another try though if/when they release an older version as there is clearly some potential.
This is an amazing whisky, I love the scientific background story as well. I am a malt loving Scot who lives in Berkeley, Gloucestershire where Dr Edward Jenner discovered vaccination which in our time will save the world from CoVid. and you can now rightly claim that Ailsa Bay is proudly drunk by the inhabitants of Berkeley Gloucestershire the home of vaccination. For me, if you can find a way of adding a whiff of seaweed and we bit of perceived age you will have perfection, but right now its already great !
If you love the peaty big hitters from Islay, then this is for you. A sweet Laphroaig is my non technical description of this very tasty whisky.