Rare Ayrshire refers to the Ladyburn distillery, which was an expansion of the Girvan grain distillery built in 1963 by William Grant & Sons. The Ladyburn malt whisky distillery was created in 1966 by installing two pot stills, but nine years later (in 1975), they were already dismantled.

As Signatory is not allowed to use the name Ladyburn, they’ve bottled it under the name Ayrshire, after the council area of Scotland in which it was located. While no other independent bottler seems to have remaining stocks, Signatory released a handful of Labyburn casks since 2007.

Rare Ayrshire 34 yo 1975
(45,2%, Signatory Vintage 2009,
cask #558, 166 btl.)

Nose: apple and citrus aromas. Mixed with some slightly sour / musty oak, you get a very light and vibrant profile. Soft nutty notes. Mint. A hint of pepper. Mouth: starts spicy and slightly malty (fresh bread) before getting fresher and more vibrant with lemon and lemon balm. Quite sweet (pink grapefruit, a little pineapple). Nice development with clear oak which works nicely here. Again a soft nuttiness. Finish: half fruity, half grassy. Not too oaky.

A nice and fresh Lowlands dram from a legendary distillery. Nothing exceptional I would say, certainly not from a price / quality perspective, but indeed truly rare.
Around € 165.

Score: 83/100