Ailsa Bay Distillery, Girvan: The Hidden Ayrshire Malt
Ailsa Bay at a glance
| Region | Lowland (Girvan, South Ayrshire) |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Owner | William Grant & Sons |
| Visitor centre | No — inside the Girvan complex, closed to public |
| Tours | No public tours |
| Opening | Not open to the public |
| Website | aerstone.com |
Overview
Ailsa Bay is a large malt distillery hidden inside William Grant & Sons’ grain complex at Girvan on the Ayrshire coast, opposite the great rock of Ailsa Craig. Built to supply the family’s blends, its malt is also bottled as the single malt Aerstone, and in a heavily-peated form under the Ailsa Bay name.
The history
Ailsa Bay was built in 2007, remarkably quickly, to give William Grant & Sons more malt for blends such as Grant’s. It is a modern, efficient, flexible distillery capable of making both unpeated and heavily-peated spirit.
The water & the land
Ailsa Bay draws on the Penwhapple Reservoir in the Girvan hills.
Ailsa Bay has no clan link — it is a modern industrial malt plant on the South Ayrshire coast, looking out to the island of Ailsa Craig, source of the world’s finest curling stones.
Visiting
Ailsa Bay is not open to the public — it sits within the working Girvan distillery complex.
Nearby & more whisky
- Ayrshire whisky you can visit: Lochlea
- Lowland — the region overview
- The whole picture: Scotch whisky — the full guide
Sources
- Ailsa Bay distillery — Wikipedia.
- William Grant & Sons.