Captain Log Day 7: After two consecutive zero points days, the team here is in awe from the organizers and they ability to find us some real weird whiskies to taste. What will today bring us?

The Answer was simple: A young sherry bomb. But once again we were led astray by the organizers and the entire collective failed guessing this one. Since it was a young sherry bomb, I didn’t want to guess a young Glenrothes (like last year) so instead I went for Aultmore 8yo 58%. Oh how wrong I was… This is the first bottling from Alisa Bay, the new workhorse Grants & Sons. distillery in Ayrshire (Lowlands region) and although it doesn’t say so directly on the bottling (probably due to some contractual limits or its being a teaspooned cask for blenders), the image and name more or less shouts it.

Malts of Scotland Alisa Bay 3 Year Old, Images Of Ayrshire Dalrymple Bridge (68.3%, 328 bottles)

Nose: Sherried nose, but it’s very relaxed with sour and sweet berries, dates, spicy with pepper. Lots of cereals, salty, probably an oloroso sherry cask. With more time in the glass, more sherry spices of nutmeg and cinnamon.

Palate: Dirty, brine, dates, nutmeg, cinnamon, berries galore, very malty, salt yet again, espresso grounds, chocolate.

Finish: Medium finish, lingering sherry impact of dates, nutmeg, white pepper, chocolate.

Thoughts: A young sherry bomb. How good is the spirit? I have no clue as the sherry cask impact dominate here. Overall, not a bad offering and I’m curious to taste Alisa bay from a refill bourbon cask to find out what’s the real distillery character.