Ailsa Bay Latest to Bring a Single Malt to Market

The Ailsa Bay Distillery in Scotland, part of the William Grant & Sons stable of whisky distilleries, is new yet old at the same time. Though it opened in just 2007, it sits adjacent to the Girvan distillery on the grounds of the old Ladyburn facility. Ladyburn, though open only 1968 to 1975, produced Scotch highly sought after today by collectors. Could product from Ailsa Bay someday be spoken of in the same way? Time will tell, as the first single focused release out the gate from them has just hit the market.

The new Ailsa Bay whisky is described as being a non-age statement expression, bottled at 48.9% ABV, which heralds from a distillery whose sole purpose is to allow for isolation and better control of elements “from the distillation, maturation and filtration process.” Here’s what Peter Gordon of William Grant & Sons had to say about the new release in a statement:

“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.”

Should you want to track down a bottle of Ailsa Bay, expect to pay at least £55 (around $80 USD). As for the distillery it heralds from, it should be noted they had previously been producing whisky before this release, but it was being used “for blending the company’s award-winning range of blends.”