William Grant
& Sons launch Aerstone, a new Single
Malt Scotch Whisky brand which aims to
simplify the taste messaging in the
single malt category.
Aerstone Single Malt Scotch Whisky is
a new single malt whisky range from
William Grant & Sons which they recently
launched with two very different 10 Year
Old expressions
the ‘Rich and Smoky’
Aerstone Land Cask 10 Year Old and
the ‘Smooth and Easy’
Aerstone Sea Cask 10 Year Old.
Although this is a single malt whisky
there is not an Aerstone distillery,
Aerstone is simply the brand name given
to the new single malt range from the
folks at William Grant. Even though the
name of the distillery the two new
whiskies originated from is not
disclosed
the packaging does give us a big clue,
it states that both the new whiskies
were matured for 10 years in the intense
environment that surrounds their
distillery in the Scottish Lowlands.
With this knowledge one would have to
assume the whisky was distilled and
matured at William Grants Ailsa Bay
distillery in Girvan on the South
Ayrshire coast and as Ailsa Bay went
into production back in 2007 the timing
for a release of a couple of 10 year old
expressions is just right.
This new Aerstone whisky range aims to
simplify the taste messaging in the
single malt category and help new single
malt drinkers navigate the flavours of
the category easily through clear taste
descriptors on pack. The range has
launched with two different styles of
whisky under the same brand, allowing
consumers to easily understand the
spectrum of flavours and demystify the
traditional – and often complex –
language associated with the category.
Sea Cask, described as ‘Smooth and Easy’
on the pack, is a classic Speyside-style
single malt with nutty vanilla notes.
This whisky develops its character from
the time spent aging in warehouses
located close to the sea on the Ayrshire
coast, giving the whisky a subtle salty
note on the finish.
Land Cask, on the other hand, is
described as ‘Rich and Smoky’ and is a
peated single malt heroing the use of
highland peat in the malting. This
whisky’s flavours are developed in
warehouses located further inland,
allowing the smoky notes to shine
through.
Having now tasted both the new whiskies
myself I can say I am impressed with
what Brian Kinsman, Master Blender and
the creative folks at William Grant &
Sons has done
here, they have clearly produced two
very good quality single malts with very
different flavour profiles but yet you
still know they are related and have the
same whisky DNA running through them.
Both have a clear age statement so you
know what you are getting for your money
and they are now on the shelves of
supermarkets such as Tesco priced at £30
which having tasted them is great value
in comparison to what else you will find
on the shelves at this price also I am
sure you are likely to see them on offer
as we approach the Christmas holiday
season and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend
these as a gift for yourself or a whisky
loving friend or relative.
No doubt we will see the Aerstone whisky
range available in the future from specialist online whisky
retailers such as
The Whisky Exchange,
The Whisky Shop and
Master of Malt but for now it is
only available in Tesco |