Ailsa Bay Release 1.2 Sweet Smoke

Ashvin and myself.

William Grants and Sons owns Girvan Distillery which located in the region Lowland in Scotland. The distillery produces grain whisky. In 2006 they established Ailsa Bay Distillery next to Girvan Distillery. Ailsa Bay produces malt whisky.

I did my tasting notes on Ailsa Bay Release 1.2 Sweet Smoke early February 2020. When I attended Cinderella Whisky Fair 2020 I had a really nice talk with Brand Ambassador Ashvin Joshi from William Grant and Sons, while tasting the same whisky. But I did not remember I had just tasted it a couple of weeks before the fair!

Ailsa Bay Release 1.2 Sweet Smoke was bottled in 2018 at 48,9 ABV into 9800 bottles. Here is some information about the whisky:

Ailsa Bay is also the only Scotch whisky to undergo a process called ‘Micro Maturation’. The distillery’s new make spirit is first filled into Hudson Baby Bourbon Casks that are between 25-100 litres in size, for six to nine months. The relatively small casks – traditional American oak barrels can contain up to 200 litres of spirit – enables intense rapid maturation. The liquid is then transferred into virgin, first-fill and refill American oak casks for several years. The process is the first of its kind within the Scotch whisky industry.

Available in Norway at NOK 819,90.

Elegant smoke on the nose. Wet wood, salty beach, sea weed, salt, vanilla. Quite sweet. Ooohhh…smoke on the palate. Salty, lemony and sweet. A bit like Fox (the Norwegian lemon caramel candy). Ashtray on the finish, with a touch of lemon and vanilla.

My score: nose 21 / taste 21 / finish 21 / balance 22 = 85

Thanks, Thomas and Ashvin!

-Tone

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