A crazy Ledaig (and/or Tobermory?) bonanza
There are enough distilleries in Scotland that produce unpeated and peated batches of whisky. At some places, this feels totally natural. On the Isle of Mull, such a practise is in use at the Tobermory Distillery. Their unpeated production is presented under the name of the distillery, and the peated stuff reaches your shelf under the name Ledaig. Now, today we are going to taste a supposed Ledaig, about which I have my doubts if this is indeed peated production from the Tobermory Distillery. We were also kindly gifted a few samples that fit in with the blog subject of today, so here we go!
Ledaig 18 years old, 1998 – 2016, bottled at 48,5 % abv by Douglas Laing
First things first: This Ledaig was distilled in April 1998 and bottled in June 2016 in the Old Particular series. The whisky matured on a refill sherry butt in the DL cask reference # 11211. The cask yielded 252 bottles.
Upon Sipping: Woof, this is a dirty one, with a good dose of a wet dog that just jumped in the pond on a rainy Autumn day. On the other hand strong hints of sulphur, but well balanced with a woody and sherried note. Lots of brine, with the peated element as the Grand Conductor of this orchestra. Very strong and muscled. Taking a sip, the sweetness of the sherry is very up front, and keeps the darker, chocolatey notes at bay all the way to the finish. The finish is not harsh at all, but still carries quite the punch. The balance on this single cask of Ledaig is impressive. Smelling and smelling again, the faint ashes from an open fireplace takes me right to the root of why I started blogging. This is a whisky you enjoy while reading some tasting notes or a good book. With time, more sweet notes arise, but the taste remains basically the same throughout. Does not like water.
Word to the Wise: A rather perfect harmony of styles, with subtle peat, loud sherry and gentle balance. This one checks all the boxes thoroughly and then it becomes something more than the sum of its parts. (Thanks for the sample, Robbert!)
Score: 89 points
Ledaig 25 years old, 1995 – 2020, bottled at 48,5 % abv by The Whisky Agency
First things first: A release in the Spring 2020 collection, this Tobermory/Ledaig (both names stated on the label) expression was matured for 25 years in a hogshead and yielded 282 bottles.
Upon Sipping: Banana cream with a chocolate cover from a dessert buffet fountain. A scoop of vanilla too. A waxy nose with a good dose of citrus. Touch of wet cardboard in the background. Ultimately also summer flowers. The mouthfeel is surprisingly smooth, nice bitterness with some lemon. Aftertaste has a good kick. A few drops of water will loosen some limestone. Beautiful, spirit-driven whisky. Versatile dram, clean, tasty. A rather fruity whisky with a bite from alcohol hotness that leaves a warm imprint on the tongue. I don’t pick up a lot of peat, but there certainly is a smoky signature.
Word to the Wise: One reaction on Whiskybase read “that calling this Ledaig comes close to label fraud”, and I cannot really say I do not agree. This is not your everyday peater, for sure. If you are looking for a classic island single malt, then this is quite the opposite of it.
Score: 88 points.
BONUS: Mystery Speyside 2009, bottled at 54,6 % by the Caskhound
First things first: This was a sample that did not really fit in anywhere in my planning, until this Ledaig blog got planned. This Mystery Speyside received a finish of 732 days in an ex-Ledaig sherry hogshead. Some 431 bottles of half a litre were filled. The cask number was # 137. The whisky was distilled on 25 June 2009 and bottled on 2 July 2024.
Upon Sipping: When you stick your nose in the glass, you will notice the clash between all the elements that come together is still going on. The more fruity Speyside spirit is resisting the influence of a more ashy element. There is also a subtle sulphury side, that was present too in the first sample (Ledaig 18). After some breathing, it seems to settle on a briny note. On the tongue, it is the Speyside character that conquers the senses. Sweet and mellow on the palate. But then, when you swallow, a very weird note of burned peanuts remains. Wow, never had such a clear impression of that before. Very amusing (but not really enjoyable). With water more sulphur and a much more oily mouthfeel. It regains some of the loses of the peanut debacle. More plain smoky now, and quite good again.
Word to the Wise: A rollercoaster of a whisky, with a lot of charm and quite bratty. I like it as an anecdotal dram, but would not be able to drink a full bottle of this. Bottling at 500 ml was probably an act of foresight. (And again, thanks Robbert for this sample.)
Score: 81 points.
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