Hebridean Moon rising with Ledaig
Yes, yes, I know, we did a few Ledaig samples just under two months ago, but there is a new expression out that sparked my curiosity. And everybody likes Ledaig! So here we go. We will start with a single cask expression bottled by Archives which matured in a sherry butt, and then we move on to the official expression which is batch production from bourbon casks. Since the abv’s are almost the same and the difference in maturation length is not extreme, this should make for a nice comparison.
Ledaig 12 years old, vintage 2011, bottled at 58,3 % abv by Archives
First things first: Sherry butt # 700205 produced 244 bottles for The Fishes of Samoa series.
Upon Sipping: If anything, the butt did not give off a lot of colour. The aroma from the glass is however distinctly brown in character. Peated mud, dry hey with horse dung on it, deep dark brown bread notes, and the classical briny Ledaig peat. In short: brilliant. Easy to nose, despite the high alcohol. Taking a sip results in pure delight on the tongue, with a sweet arrival before dark chocolate notes start to mingle with dades and smoky prune. The brine is strong, but it has a lot of sweet edges, making me conclude this was still a very active cask, despite the lack of colour. Very balanced, impressively so for a single cask. The finish has active wood too, on the taste. With water, the aroma makes way for some more regular lemon influences, with in the background a faint whiff of diesel. This is a dram for car mechanics after a long day of repairing our vehicles. After some breathing, the prune makes an appearance on the nose, where we had already tasted it. This is a very complete and consistent Ledaig, I must say. The taste becomes almost a tad too bitter, but the smoke keeps it alive on a tight rope.
Word to the Wise: Very much a bullseye bottling by Archives. All the aspects of it speak loud and in your face, and does so very narrowly.
One could wish for some more diversity, but when all elements are so balanced, one must applaud the sheer quality of it. This Ledaig is a treasure. One bonus point for the display of balance here.
Score: 90 points.
Ledaig 10 years old, bottled at 58,8 % abv
First things first: Can we get an applause for Tobermory Distillery here? They made an age stated, cask strength whisky composed solely from bourbon casks. A batch of 7.000 bottles in 2025.
Upon Sipping: Even lighter in colour than the Archives, but that is more logical of course. A very different nose too. Very fresh on Mull meadowland surely, and lemons, and peated vanilla. Clearly less talkative after the Archives, which might be the alcohol cloying the whisky in the glass. We will go for a sip first then. A rather smooth arrival in the mouth, which gives a feeling as if the whisky was heated up a little. Keeping the liquid on the palate, it remains strong on vanilla, until the peat starts to burn. Lots of medical notes that continue onto the finish, where the vanilla slowly subsides into lemon freshness, but followed by a most powerful peated kick in the teeth. I am reminded of very clean Caol Ila. In this case, Mull is just Islay-north. The medicinal bitterness is an asset, but I do miss a bit more complexity. Is that fair to ask from a 10 year old single malt? With water we pick up more ashes and smoke, making the Ledaig a tad more gritty, but the nose is not the most expressive part of this expression. More sweetness on the palate now, making it lean more towards Ardbeg in style, and the distillate can really speak volumes without being cloaked by cask influence (other than this strong peated vanilla).
Word to the Wise: Spirit driven single malt always makes you appreciate cask treatment in other expressions. This Ledaig Hebridean Moon is a keeper as a benchmark not only for what peated Tobermory has to offer, but peated single malt in general. They should follow up with a 12 year old and follow the progress. As it stands, benchmark whisky for peat heads.
Score: 87 points.