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Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Ledaig 11 year old Time IV, TWE Exclusive

TWE stands for The Whisky Exchange, and Time IV stands for Time IV one more Ledaig review!

Hey, where are you going?

Come back!

That was only the first of many many jokes.

Oh well, I guess it's just me and......me this time.

If I remember correctly, TWE's "Time" series focused on the effect time has on a whisky's spirit, using refill casks so that time ≠ oak. Tobermory's peated single malt, Ledaig, was a good choice due its spirit's vibrant character. This particular whisky's color is very very light — which you can't actually see in the bottle pic below — much lighter than that of its sparring partner, last Wednesday's sherried 6yo Ledaig.


Distillery: Tobermory
Brand: Ledaig
Owner: Distell International Ltd.
Region: Isle of Mull
Independent Bottler: The Whisky Exchange (per Whiskybase's listing)
Age: minimum 11 years (???? - 2016)
Maturation: my guess is one refill hogshead
Outturn: 319 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 48%
Chillfiltered? No
Color added? No
(Thanks to MAO, yes that guy, for the sample! See his review here.)

NOTES
The nose is full of yeast and barley, salty ocean air and smoked fish. Then saltines, golden delicious apples, rock candy and cotton candy. Even though the whisky is almost colorless, the palate is not raw. It's mildly tart, mildly sweet and mildly bitter. Salty smoke, sea water and apples. A fruity sweetness builds with, you know, Time. Barley, apples and sea water lead the finish. It's moderately sweet with an almost savory smoke.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
At half its age, this cask could have been a palate killer, but here at age 11 this Ledaig enters maturity without any woody burden. There's a variety of smoky notes and plenty of oceanic character. Gentle sweet and tart fruit notes give it extra dimension at its spot-on bottling strength. Without modern bells and whistles, it probably wasn't the fastest-selling Ledaig single cask, but kudos to those who did pick it up. It's a drinker.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 85