Dram Review: Ailsa Bay (Bottled in 2016)

[48.9%・NAS・Bottled in 2016・Official Bottling・General Release]

Nose:

Gooey confectionary aromas and poached ripe fruits, with a passive smoke that is dirty but sweet in the background.  Splashes of minerals with a curious scent of tiger balm all patched together.

Palate & Finish:

The palate is somewhat overwhelming with this stickily sweet toffee note along some peanut butter and pepper.  Some pear-y esters are in play here with the iodine smoke surfacing along the spices.

Medium finish with the sweet peat continued to be unveiled amidst the distorting spices.

Thoughts:

Peated to 21ppm, this Ailsa Bay was never going to to be a peat monster, instead it feels like it exists as a part to the puzzle with how the peat is playing second fiddle to the confectionary notes..

-Nicholas