Aerstone Land Cask 10YO (the first mainstream release from the new Ailsa Bay distillery)

At first glance this looks like just another budget single malt cleanskin, but a little digging reveals that this is actually from the new William Grant & Sons owned and built Ailsa Bay lowland distillery. A 10 year old release from a brand new distillery would normally warrant quite the fanfare, but this one was dumped out onto the market seemingly without a single toot of the trumpet. Very strange...

[@adamluscombe4070]

I’m really enjoying the Sea Cask, well worth a review. It’s a journey. Very sweet to start, then dry sourness and true to their word there is some salt at the end, although I doubt from waves lapping on the casks….but they got it in there.

[@edwardjarvinen3702]

Yes it does my head in thinking why oh why try to marry inland maturation with peat influence, seems ass about but there it is. Nice review and agree, good value. I scored this 81 and the sea cask 79. I'm no peathead, but did buy a second bottle, not so with the sea cask. Will be interesting to see what you guys think.

[@MrChristopherMolloy]

I completely concur with your take on this bottle. In NYC, and both Aerstone 10s are about $30, and that's about the same price as Glen Moray 12, Tomatin 12 and Loch Lomond 12 (which I wish you would review if you haven't already?)
The only less expensive heavily-peated malts are NAS and mysterious in their origins, like Finlaggan Old Reserve ✌️

[@horineesgaming7354]

Here its 17, but don't know if I should get it

[@ianholmes6078]

Glad to see Dave is dipping his toe back into peat after that Japanese disaster! I am very happy to hear that there is another 'utility' single malt on the market. As Dave pointed out, the hype around new distilleries is getting out of control, to the average consumers detriment.

[@howardfoster4393]

Just so you are clear the main malt whiskey from the Ailsa Bay distillery is Ailsa Bay Sweet Smoke. They are currently on release 1.2. This is a real integrity malt and is bottled at 48.9% and is natural colour and non chill filtered. It is a really outstanding whiskey and you really should try and get a bottle. The two releases Aerstone Land and Sea are just mass market 10 year old malts at 40% and most likely coloured and NCF but as you say not that bad……

[@TheSingleMaltReview]

I've always looked at that one as more of a 'work in progress' release. It would be very interesting to try but currently unavailable here.

[@danielbrown9346]

@@TheSingleMaltReview Full agreement with Howard. Had Ailsa Bay's inaugural release, and I was thoroughly impressed. Glad to have your review of this Aerstone release, though. It was the same price as the Ileach Cask Strength (here in Taiwan) about a month ago, so I went with the Ileach as you gents seemed to enjoy that one. Cheers!

[@mikebennett3741]

More of a new “factory” than distillery, I’d say. :) Thus the lack of fanfare? Capacity of 12,000,000 LPA. Not your standard “new distillery” profile. I tried them both, gave the bottles away to a friend, and moved on. Tim’s mark seems about right to me, though I applaud Dave’s more generous spirit. :)

[@eyemallears2647]

Quite smart to release the two…… everyone wants to try the second one after the first!

[@perrin6]

I am enjoying the land cask, my nose and palate need developing to detect subtleties but i like it’s sweet and peaty overall flavour and mouthfeel.

[@cohar565]

$50 in australia for either land and sea cask, seen it for a few years, i do remember seeing Ailsa bay sweet smoke before these 10yo statements, however as ailsa bay and aerstone are both from the same distillery one could almost blend a $100 bottle of ailsa bay with 2 $50 Aerstone bottles hmmm. wonder if someone has done it???

[@bjrnarhaugen9140]

Daftmill has a capacity for 65 000 litres pr year, Ailsa Bay 12 million litres pr year. That would explain some of the difference in price I suppose. Also, Ailsa Bay isn't exactly new. It started distilling in 2007

[@eyemallears2647]

Reminds me of Talisker 10 and Skye.

[@petesmitt]

1:08 Glenfiddich use the triangular bottle; why on earth would Grants use that style for another brand?

[@Ivo--]

Thanks for the review lads!
Interesting as this is, in my opinion it's still, well, not very good. I tried the sea cask too and it just tastes a bit nail polish and feinty. Like a cheap Grappa. I really do wonder what's going on that they're dumping this stuff on the market like they are. Ailsa Bay releases are so much better, why are these so poorly presented?

[@freddievanterbeek4913]

I just bought 3 bottles of it , on offer. Paid only 20 euro per bottle! Bargain!!

[@joshuapark2926]

Where did you buy it on the New Zealand market?

[@TheSingleMaltReview]

Just a regular old Super Liquor as far as I can remember.

[@craigwells6227]

I dig cats*

[@AG-cg7lk]

I think you are pronouncing it incorrectly and adding to the confusion. Pretty sure it is pronounced Ale-sa. Either way, these two bottles of pish (land and sea casks) are cheap but....er....pish. Very difficult to get something good for the money they are asking, to be fair. But for not much more, you can get something infinitely better.