Ailsa Bay's first single malt whisky set to be released in the UK

New Single Malt release from William Grant & Sons and Ailsa Bay distillery reveals unique balance of smoke and sweetness from the new lowland distillery. 

Published 12th Feb 2016
Updated 21 st Sep 2023

William Grant & Sons are set to release Ailsa Bay, the first single malt whisky from their new lowland distillery this month.

Described as a singular, precision-distilled spirit, with a unique balance of smoke and sweetness, the whisky is the product of many years of hard work and experimentation by Director Peter Gordon  and Master Blender Brian Kinsman and his team, who desired to create a spirit as beautiful, balanced and unique as the brand’s timeless muse, Ailsa Craig, which dominates the distillery’s horizon at Girvan.

Bottle&CartonWhite.LR

Peter Gordon, Director of William Grant & Sons and great great grandson of William Grant explains: “With Ailsa Bay, we wanted to create a very heavily peated whisky with all of the sweetness and smokiness we could muster, but also dial down  on  some of the medicinal notes that characterise some peated whiskies.

“Ailsa Bay is a testament to our whisky-making expertise and the skills of our Master Blender Brian Kinsman. We invest heavily in keeping the innovation conveyor belt going. Hopefully, we can do this in a pioneering way that respects the traditions that our family has passed down through the generations.”

Peter was the main driving force behind the creation of the new state-of-the-art distillery in 2007, which was initially built to combine the purpose of increasing capacity and supply of malt whisky for blending and growing demand with the capacity to develop a new style of peated whisky for the group.

With its unique advanced technologies and precise controls, the distillery allowed Master Blender Brian Kinsman and his team the ability to isolate and control more elements from the initial distillation, to the maturation process, which enabled optimal control over the type and quality of liquid produced.

Brian feels the greater control the team has over the entire process has given him more freedom and encouragement to innovate, he said: “Ailsa Bay Distillery has allowed us to do something extremely special.

"Using our precision distilling methods and a special process for cask maturation, I am able to carefully control the outcome of the whisky. With Ailsa Bay, I took exceptional peated malt and ex Baby Bourbon Hudson casks to create a whisky with a balance of smoke and sweetness, to occupy a new space on the flavour map.”

The new whisky will take up the position as William Grant & Sons' 'peated malt' and will be released with a phenol level of 21 PPM - which, reflecting the company's innovative attitude, will be the measurement taken from the liquid, rather than the peat smoked malted barley - as well as a new measurement of sweetness SPPM (Sweet parts per million), which will be an industry first. Both of these measurements will be clearly stated on the bottle reflecting the level of detail and attention the distillers have given to the whisky.

9 of the most expensive and rare drams available in Scottish bars - including £8000 Macallan and 1979 Port Ellen

photo

Ailsa Bay distillery tasting notes:

Nose

Fresh wood smoke with notes of smouldering damp heather and extinguished bonfire.  Following the smoke is a wave of oaky sweetness and hot, buttered toast with an intriguing hint of caramelised apple.

Taste

An immediate punch of peat is quickly balanced by a burst of vanilla oakiness.  The flavour meanders between smoke, fruit, creamy toffee and back again.  With every sip, the complexity of the whisky deepens as layer upon layer of flavour is revealed.

Charles Maclean and sons release limited edition Ardnamurchan whisky in aid of clean water charity 

Finish

An intriguing balance of oaky sweetness and peaty dryness.

Ailsa Bay will be launching in the UK this month and will have an ABV of 48.9% per 70 cl bottle.

Driven by a passion for all things drinks-related, Sean writes for The Scotsman extensively on the subject. He can also sometimes be found behind the bar at the world famous Potstill bar in Glasgow where he continues to enhance his whisky knowledge built up over 10 years advising customers from all over the world on the wonders of our national drink. Recently, his first book was published. Dubbed Gin Galore, it explores Scotland's best gins and the stories behind those that make them.
Copyright ©2024 National World Publishing Ltd
Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy Policy
crosschevron-down linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram