Stop number 85 on the SDT is Ailsa Bay. This single malt newcomer to the Lowland region is actually owned by Girvan and the entire distillery is located within the Girvan facility. Ailsa Bay was created mostly to be used in blends so that Balvenie could be freed up for more single malt releases. This NAS is their inaugural release and is peated to a level of 21ppm. Bottled at 48.9% ABV and is most likely non chill filtered and natural color of golden straw. Matured in a combination of refill American oak, first fill bourbon and smaller barrels (possibly quarter casks) to speed maturation. The nose is sweet lemony peat smoke, typical of many young bourbon matured scotches. Smoky lemon bars dusted with powdered sugar. Lots of melted butter drizzled over dried apricots and tangerines. Chimney ashes, a mix of fresh cut oak and pine, vanilla custard, buttercream and faint caramel apples. The palate hits hard initially with strong smoky pepper and sharp oak. More smoky than peaty. Light lemons and vanilla, white grapes, plums and faint almonds. Ashes and campfire remnants. Not much else sadly. A fairly simple palate. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is fairly dry. The finish is long and short. Everything but the smoke is pretty much gone a few seconds after you swallow it, but the smoke lingers on a while. This needs a few more years in the cask, but it shows promise. Not very complex and the palate and finish leave much to be desired. It’s also on the pricy side for what you get. At $65 (plus international shipping as this isn’t available in the US), it’s not a great buy when you can get a good Kilchoman or BenRiach for the same price and get better quality. 3.25 and a thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for the sample. Cheers