Ailsa Bay 9 Year (2011) Scotch Universe Ceres I

Review by: The Muskox

Wow, two-thirds of the way to a thousand reviews… This is my first-ever Ailsa Bay! They’re quite a young distillery, only opening in 2009, but they’re part of the massive Girvan grain distillery. They’re notable for trying to apply trendy technologies like AI and blockchain to whisky, for some reason.

This particular whisky is an indie bottling from Scotch Universe, who seem to have a tendency to chuck whiskies in various wine casks seeing what happens. This time, they’ve used perhaps my favourite wine cask, Madeira.

Distillery: Ailsa Bay.

Bottler: Scotch Universe.

Region: Lowlands.

ABV: 57.2%, cask strength.

Age: 9 years old. Distilled in 2011. Bottled in 2020.

Cask type: 1st Fill Madeira Wine Barrique.

Color: Bright gold. No colour added, un-chillfiltered.

Nose: Sweet and spirity. Candied fruits and fruity candies, namely Fuzzy Peaches and Sour Patch Kids. Some nice maltiness: barley wort, buttery shortbread, and salted soft pretzels. Honey and cantaloupe. Peaches ‘n’ cream ice cream. Lemon oil. Very slightly dusty.

I added a good bit of water, which gives some more fruit complexity.

Palate: Medium texture, a bit hot. Honey-sweet breakfast cereals and dried mango up front. Floral and malty in the middle, with crusty bread and a hint of cinnamon. Marshmallow fluff and creamy vanilla.

With the water it gets slightly leafy, there’s more juicy yellow fruit.

Finish: Medium-length. Light oak and vanilla. Lingering mandarins, frosted cornflakes, and slightly nutty. xreekinghavocx mentions Mountain Dew, which is both hilarious and spot-on.

Possible SMWS bottling name: “Peach fuzz electric razor”

Notes: It’s alright, but a bit too young and one-dimentional. It didn’t help that I expected this whisky to be peated, like most of the OB Ailsa Bays (yes, they’re a peated Lowland!). I can’t say I have a great idea of what the Ailsa Bay spirit is like, as the Madeira cask really dominates the whisky. I like Madeira influence, but I’d like there to be a little more in there to go with it. Those malty notes are a good sign, though, so I’ll continue to keep my eye out for this weird Lowlander.

Final Score: 76.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

Leave a comment