Ledaig 20 year old 2001 Gordon & MacPhail, cask 285

Another late work night, and I sit down at 11:48pm to type up my tasting notes for this heavily-sherried Ledaig. I can only think of two more things to include in this introduction:

1.) I like Ledaig.

2.) Can the SWA require quotation marks for sopping wet aggressively re-seasoned "refill" sherry casks? Et vos, Gordon and MacPhail?

(No, I'm not going to pretend I remember any of my high school Latin, other than "Canis est in via".)

Distillery: Tobermory

Malt: Ledaig
Owner: Distell International Ltd.
Region: Isle of Mull

Independent Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail
Range: Connoisseurs Choice - Cask Strength
Age: 20 years (2001 - 5 May 2022)
Maturation: refill sherry butt lol

Cask #: 285

Outturn: 498 bottles

Exclusive to: United Kingdom

Alcohol by Volume: 58.4%

(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose says someone's grilling ribs at the beach. Sage, oregano and grapefruit peels swirl through the BBQ smoke. A whiff of manure stays in the background. The palate offers herbal (oregano, rosemary, dried mint) and bold citrus (yuzus!) to go with chocolate, Robotussin, ume candy and salty pickled ume. It finishes with yuzu, lime, mesquite smoke, Robotussin and mint.

This is a big one, so I'm trying two dilution strengths:

DILUTED TO ~50%abv, or 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The herbal notes ascend in the nose, now joined by mossy smoke, baked plums, and hints of milk chocolate and almond extract. Smoked paprika, oregano and plum sauce fill the palate. The finish gets very sweet, like dessert wine sweet. Smoky residue and lime juice rests in the background.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or >1½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Oregano, lemon peel and wood smoke arrive first in the nose, followed by ink and almond extract. Straightforward peat and sweet on the palate, with a little bit of bitterness in the back. It finishes sweet and herbal.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

It's difficult to squelch Ledaig's spirit, but this heavy cask almost succeeds. One can be thankful this whisky didn't sit in its sauced-up vessel for any longer. Perhaps this is a peated whisky for sherry bomb fans rather than a sherried whisky for peat bomb fans, if that makes sense. It's most complex at full strength, but drinks better once diluted. I'm not sure if all the parts ever really merge, but I am a sucker for all the plummy notes and dried herbs. Thus I'm won over despite myself.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 87

Ledaig 19 year old 1997 Cadenhead Small Batch

Today's Cadenhead Small Batch is indeed a small batch; more specifically, it's one Ledaig hogshead. Its bottles were sold in the US of A, and I remember seeing it on the shelf. And not buying it. I had my reasons. Those reasons are called "money". Anyway, yesterday I stated my feelings about Ledaig at this age range, so I'm certainly ready for this stuff.

Distillery: Tobermory

Malt: Ledaig
Owner: Distell International Ltd.
Region: Isle of Mull

Independent Bottler: Cadenhead
Range: Small Batch
Age: 19 years (1997 - 2016)
Maturation: Bourbon hogshead

Alcohol by Volume: 53.7%

(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose has three lives. At first it's all metal and farmy funk. Then it gets peachy, with citrons and charred marshmallows in the background. Finally it settles into ocean brine, earth and malt. The palate also starts out metallic and farmy, then tangy citrus and sweet stone fruits move in while salty smoke plays coy. It finishes with a good mix of tart, sweet, salt, and smoke (in that order of strength).

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The nose gets smokier as the fruits retreat, though there's a fruit tart way in the back. The palate also gets smokier, but sweet citrus stands its ground, with hints of dried herbs and peppercorns around the edges. Smoke and citrons fill the finish.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Full reveal: This was the 15yo's Taste Off partner. Though the 15 year old won the battle, this 19yo was still very good. This older cask read simpler and milder, and though the finish felt very balanced, the palate and nose were wobblier. I'd still take wobbly Ledaig over nearly every other peated malt on the planet, so owning this bottle wouldn't be a tragedy. And yeah, it's probably a December whisky too.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 86

Ledaig 15 year old 2005 Single Malts of Scotland, cask 72

It's kinda difficult to go wrong with 15-20 year old single cask Ledaig, and I have three of them lined up for this week. I'll continue going in age order, starting with a......15 year old. Bottled for the possibly-cancelled 2020 Whisky in Leiden festival in the Netherlands, this Mull exited its single bourbon barrel at a not-too-terrifying 55.5%abv.

Distillery: Tobermory

Malt: Ledaig
Owner: Distell International Ltd.
Region: Isle of Mull

Independent Bottler: Elixir Distillers
Range: Single Malts of Scotland
Age: 15 years and 1 day (3 Feb 2005 - 4 Feb 2020)
Maturation: Bourbon barrel
Cask number: 72
Outturn: 237 bottles

Exclusive to: Whisky in Leiden 2020
Alcohol by Volume: 55.5%
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT

Chalk, saline, seaweed, and spent oil on hot concrete arrive first in the nose, followed by toffee and Werther's Originals. It gets peatier with time, but also gains orange zest, cinnamon and light blue Mr. Sketch markers. The palate arrives at a perfect intersection of peat, sweet and lime. Hints of pound cake and hay fill the background. A bright prickly tartness develops with time, carrying over into the earthy finish, with toffee pudding in the background.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The nose shows cinnamon and baked plums framed by seaweedy smoke. The palate starts with minerals and smoke, with very tart lemons in the midground, and brown sugar in the back. The finish matches the palate.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Seeing "yummy" twice in the handwritten tasting notes, a reader could say I liked this stuff. A LOT. I'm not sure I've had a recent official Ledaig this damned good. The barrel does just enough, the spirit continues to thrive, and it swims. It may not be the most complex Ledaig around, but it works on every level. I want more. MORE!

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - It was €80. You lucky festival folks.
Rating - 89 (darn close to 90)

Ledaig 11 year old 2007 Chieftain's, cask 700611

Though I bid adieu to Chieftain's two years ago, that did not spell the end of my Chieftain's reviews. Diving for Pearls is only timely on accident. Everything gets reviewed at least three years late around here. For instance, today's Ledaig appeared in the US four years ago. Though from a sherry butt, the whisky has taken on the color of a refill hoggie (though I tinted it a bit for my pic below).

Distillery: Tobermory

Malt: Ledaig
Owner: Distell International Ltd.
Region: Isle of Mull

Independent Bottler: Ian McLeod
Range: Chieftain's
Age: 11 years old (June 2007 - September 2018)
Maturation: B.U.T.T.
Cask number: 70611
Outturn: 528 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 58.1%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

One may find ocean water, moss, wood smoke, fresh coffee and roasted mixed nuts on the nose. The palate is nutty and salty, with some heat from chile oil and cinnamon, and just a hint of raspberry sweetness in the background. It finishes with billowing salty smoke and a squeeze of lime.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 1½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The nose leans more towards pork, brine, cashews, apples and basil. I'm sure there's a recipe in that somewhere. The palate arrives with a balance of smoke, salt and sweet. It gets that raspberry note again, along with a vegetal hint, with time. Again with the salty smoke in the finish, this time with dark chocolate and mint leaf.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This was definitely from a refill butt, but not too refill. This is no mezcal-like palate killer, instead it has touches of fruit, nuts and spice to go with the warming smoke. TL;DR: December whisky. Wish I had more of it!

Availability - Probably sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 87

Tobermory 10 year old 2005 Single Cask Nation, cask 10

With a review of the fruity, moderately peated Ledaig era behind us, it's time to usher in the Ledaig-as-Beast era. (Actually I have no idea if the other four scheduled Ledaigs are like today's, but I can guarantee you they'll be more like this one, and less like Monday's.)

Burn Stewart Distillers bought Tobermory Distillery from Kirkleavington Property Co. (seriously) in 1993, but didn't seem to make too many immediate changes to their spirits' style. Ian MacMillan became the master distiller in 1996, yet a real change to the single malts didn't appear until the rollout of the revamped range in 2010 (thus ~2000 distillations) when Ledaig and Tobermory had new stylized duds as well as a proper bottling at 46.3%abv nc/ncf. Independently bottled Ledaigs from the new millennium were pummeling in with 35ppm peated malt that seemed to lose very little phenolic power after distillation. I enjoy both the old stuff and the new stuff, though some of those indies were WOW strong.

Today's "HEAVILY PEATED" Tobermory spent 10 short years in a refill hoggie, and has something to say about it.

Also swiped from Whiskybase

Distillery: Tobermory

Malt: Ledaig
Owner: Distell International Ltd.
Region: Isle of Mull
Independent Bottler: Single Cask Nation
Age: 20 years (July 2005 - August 2015)
Maturation: refill hogshead
Outturn: 235 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 56.7%
(thank you to St. Brett of Riverside for the sample!)

NEAT

Scorched earth peat dominates the nose: burnt moss, burnt grass, rotting kelp, black smokestacks and dead bonfires. The occasional cashew too. The palate is also massively peated, reading mostly as soot. But it doesn't quite neutralize the taste buds. Hints of lemons, almond butter, mint leaf and a tiny bit of sweetness cower beneath the smoke. It's very salty on the finish, with soot and heat in the middle, lemon in the back.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or >1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The nose still leans mostly on heavy dark smoke, but now there's more ocean, some dried herbs and a vegetal note. The smoke becomes pepperier on the palate. Herbal bitterness appears, and the almond butter remains. It finishes with ocean water and soot.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

My handwritten notes read, "This is sort of like Ardbeg's sharper, smarter cousin." Looking back at the actual tasting notes, I see this whisky as a stand-in for the still non-existent Ardbeg 10yo CS. It has Ardbeg Ten's soot, and then some, with hints of citrus in the background. But like many bold peaters, this Ledaig has a difficult time developing beyond its monolithic nature. So it has one big note, and the rest is all undeveloped potential. It's a good note though.

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

Ledaig Sherry Finish (bottled early 2000s)

After two weeks of international whisky reviews, Diving for Pearls is going intergalactic with two weeks of whiskies from Planet Mull, home to the Tobermoronis. The current leader of the Tobermoronis is a creature known as Ledaig, the pronunciation of which is up for debate. Ledaig used to be a genuine aquatic oddball, now it is a smoldering beast. I have here a sextet of Ledaig's distinctive fluids.

---

I got into Ledaig just as it was about to escape a phase that was not beloved by popular enthusiasts. Perhaps because Ledaig and I met at that awkward time in our lives, we got along very well. Aside from a 15yo and 20yo, there was the regular NAS (but sometimes 7yo) "Peated" and "Sherry Finish". (Also, am I dreaming or was there a port finish too?)

Usually when a bottle split opportunity comes along, I go in for 2oz. But when a bottle of Ledaig Sherry Finish appeared, I went for 8oz. I mean, I wanted the whole damned bottle but I dialed back my greed. Now I wish I'd gone Full Glutton.

Picture pilfered from Whiskybase

Distillery: Tobermory
Brand: Ledaig
Owner: Distell International
Region: Planet Mull
Age: probably between 3 and 6 years old
Primary Maturation: not sherry casks

Secondary Maturation: sherry casks
Bottling era: early 2000s
Alcohol by Volume: 42%
Chillfiltered? probably
Color added? probably
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The nose begins with smoked salmon, anise and yellow peaches, gradually adding in cigarettes and damp mossy forest floor notes. After 30+ minutes, it's all peaches, seaweed and farm, always reading much bigger than its ABV.

The palate's salt, cayenne pepper and cigar smoke are well-countered by a fresh stone fruit (probably apricot) sweetness. Hints of milk chocolate and newspaper print flit around the edges.

It finishes salty and inky, with tangy nectarines and moderate smoke.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

What a comforting surprise! Ledaig Sherry Finish hits the nose and palate as a very complete malt, all in balance and ready to go, with just a hint of weirdness to keep it unique. The only things prevenint it from being a 90-point whisky are the thinnish texture and abbreviated finish length, both likely due to the low ABV. Otherwise, this is a great young thing, and a nice trip down whisky memory lane.

Availability - Maybe in some random auctions?
Pricing - ???
Rating - 88

Mathilda Malt: Ledaig 16 year old 1973 Gordon & MacPhail

My failures as a father are legion. Just ask my father, children, ex-wife, neighbors, random passersby. Actually don't ask them. Please.

But my daughter, Mathilda, already has a palate more sophisticated than mine when I was 25. And she is eight years old as of yesterday. Her birthday breakfast request? A scramble with black beans, zucchini and feta cheese, along with kombucha and Japanese senbei. Those are things I didn't eat, or know about, let alone request, until I was nearly twenty years older than her. She will seemingly try anything, and wants to know about every culture everywhere. While that is not 100% my doing, my influence has been enough to allow for one Father Flex today. 

I often celebrate her birthday with a bunch of Littlemill reviews, but since I'm nearing the end of my Littlemill sample supply, I will be fortifying this week's selection with potential gems from other distilleries.

The whisky anorak generation that preceded mine has waxed romantic about the first few vintages of Tobermory's peated Ledaig malt. Thanks to generous whisky friends, I've had a chance to try two 1972s and they were both wonderful pours indeed. Today's whisky is from a bottle split of a 1973 Ledaig that was distributed solely in America more than 30 years ago. Gordon & MacPhail tragically bottled it at 40%abv, as they did with hundreds of other Connoisseurs Choice single malts in their early years.

But still, it's 1973 Ledaig.

Distillery: Tobermory
Brand: Ledaig
Owner: Distell International Ltd.
Region: Isle of Mull
Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail
Range: Connoisseurs Choice
Age: at least 16 years old
Vintage: 1973
Maturation: "Oak Casks" 🤔
Alcohol by Volume: 40%
Chillfiltered? ???
e150a? ???
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

Forget the abv, the intense, nuanced nose arrives gorgeously. A variety of phenols appear (barbecue, pine smoke, pipe smoke, antiseptic, and kiln), merging seamlessly with the fruit (mango, citron, baked apple). Maybe some fruity shisha too. The peat retreats to a secondary role, letting the fruit expand, offering notes reminiscent of old Laphroaig. It continues to roar after 90 minutes, focusing on the citron, mango, kiln, and naan fresh off the tandoor.

The palate has the nose's balance but comes in a bit light. Tropical fruit punch, salt, bitter herbs, lemon, and seaweed-y smoke sound as one. It gets sweeter with time, holding on to the bitterness, and gaining an antiseptic note.

The finish sticks around for a decent amount of time, offering the seaweed smoke, honey, tart lemons and kiln.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

My Gourd, that nose is an All-Timer. I don't know how it was done, nor how that process was lost, nor if it can be replicated, but the fact that this sensory experience came from a max-diluted teenage whisky is staggering (if noses can stagger). The water shows its influence in the palate, though, limiting my superlatives here. Everything works in the mouth, but it's hushed and thinned. Despite that, I held onto this pour for nearly two hours, relishing the moment, knowing this experience may never be repeated.

Availability - Secondary market
Pricing - I ain't looking
Rating - 91 (the nose, tho)

Ledaig 20 year old 1997 The Munros, for K&L Wine Merchants

The Glasgow Whisky Company (TGWC) is a new-ish indie bottler. They've released a few dozen whiskies since their start in 2007, including a number of single malts for California retailer K&L Wine Merchants. I'm out of the loop when it comes to K&L's exclusives, thanks to shipping regulations, and have had only one chance to nab a bottle since I moved out of Southern California. That bottle was a Ledaig, but not this Ledaig, and that's another boring story. More relevant to today's post, I was able to take part in a split of this Ledaig bottled under TGWC's The Munros label.

Distillery: Tobermory
Brand: Ledaig
Owner: Distell International Ltd.
Region: Isle of Mull
Independent Bottler: The Glasgow Whisky Company
Range: The Munros
Age: 20 years (1 May 1997 - 31 October 2017)
Maturation: three hogsheads
Outturn: ???
Alcohol by Volume: 52.6%
Chillfiltered? No
Colorant added? No
(from a bottle split)

NEAT
The nose is earthier than Wednesday's Alexander Murray Ledaig, but has that same toasty peat note. Some candy notes too, like cinnamon gum and watermelon Jolly Ranchers. Plenty of dried apricots too. With time the earthiness shifts to an organic mustiness, friendly peat smoke and a fudgy hint. The palate has a nice funkiness. Soil and manure, mossy smoke and a kombucha-like fermented note. Salt and lemons fill in the edges, and it all gets sweeter with time. It finishes tangy and sweet. Lemons, limes and ginger beer. Its earthiness lasts the longest.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or < 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose picks up yellow stone fruits and lemons. The earthiness retreats. A mesquite smoke arises. Less smoke and more sweets in the palate. But the sugars are balance by a big herbal bitter bite, fennel and pickled ginger. The finish matches the palate, though a little more lemony.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
I enjoyed all three Ledaigs this week, and I'm thankful the three bottlers offered up whiskies that went very light on the oak. It was great to match up this one with the 1997 20yo from Alexander Murray. This Ledaig gets the edge thanks to its quirkiness and fruitiness, but their qualities are so close that I'd be happy with either. The fact that The Munros Ledaig was priced 40% cheaper than the other would have made for a much easier decision. I normally don't regret missing out on store exclusives, but this whisky would have hit the spot this fall.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $99.99
Rating - 88

Ledaig 20 year old 1997 Alexander Murray & Company

Alexander Murray & Company's bottlings flooded the California whisky retail scene almost overnight in 2015, appearing in beloved specialty retailers as well as Costco. The distillery variety was impressive, the the 40%abvs were not. A year later a pair of cask strength bottlings (Dalmore and Highland Park) appeared but I wasn't particularly thrilled with either. Then I moved out to Ohio — whose liquor control department doesn't believe in independent bottlings — and promptly forgot about Alexander Murray. At some point the company reinvigorated their brand and began offering additional cask strength single malts from Laphroaig, Bunnahabhain and this Ledaig. Let's see if this is a step up from that Highland Park.

Distillery: Tobermory
Brand: Ledaig
Owner: Distell International Ltd.
Region: Isle of Mull
Independent Bottler: Alexander Murray & Company
Age: minimum 20 years (distilled 1997)
Maturation: "multiple refill Bourbon barrels" per the official site
Outturn: ???
Alcohol by Volume: 50%
Chillfiltered? ???
Colorant added? ???

(from a bottle split)

NEAT
The nose begins very sugary, think circus peanuts and orange candy. Blue scented marker (a fave) and roasted corn. The peat reads toasted as opposed to outright smoke. The palate's sweetness is milder than the nose led on but the peat is heavier, starting off as dark industrial smoke, then tilting towards moss. Lots of salt in the foreground, though less than Monday's monster. Some mellow tropical fruit punch hints in the background. It finishes with tart and tangy fruit, ocean-y peat and a hint of tobacco.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or ½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Just this little bit of water does indeed bring change. Now the nose shows manure, black walnuts and chalk dust up front, grilled pear with fruity cinnamon in the back. The palate gets fruitier: apples and pears, as well as a lemony smoke. Then plenty of salt and a hint of those black walnuts. The finish mirrors the palate but with a little more herbal bitterness.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
A few steps up, in fact! This is a proper peated drink, to my palate, that even lets some fruits sneak through. Because I'm a sucker for black walnuts (except for that damned tree in my backyard), I may have enjoyed the diluted version even more. As this was a mix of "multiple" casks, I think the blending did it a lot of favors, sanding down raggedy edges and providing structure, while also probably salvaging at least one very low ABV cask. The price was a bit steep and the whisky has sold out, so once again, you're welcome.

Availability - Sold out, I think
Pricing - $170-$190
Rating - 87

Ledaig 17 year old 1998 AD Rattray cask 800036 (my bottle)

The Mull Monster

I wasn’t even in the mood to buy anything when I saw this bottle in late 2015. (My comrades with this same disease know what happened next.) A year later I realized I’d never actually enjoyed super-high ABV single malts. A year after that I opened my awful sherry cask Auchentoshan from this same bottler, and began to wonder if something terribly wrong happened to this sherry cask too. Buyer’s Remorse set in.

When 2020 decided to be all 2020 about everything, I figured if this Ledaig was indeed demon piss then this was the right year to find out.

Cheers.

Distillery: Tobermory
Brand: Ledaig
Owner: Distell International Ltd.
Region: Isle of Mull
Independent Bottler: AD Rattray
Age: 17 years (3 April 1998 - 1 Sept 2015)
Maturation: Sherry Butt
Cask number: 800036
Outturn: 528 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 65.8%
Chillfiltered? No
Colorant added? No
(from my bottle)

I tasted this whisky at three ABV levels, side by side, for the purposes of this review:

FULL STRENGTH, 65.8%abv
There's no alcohol burn to the nose, but there are three peat levels trading fours: Farm, Moss and Ocean. Chalk dust and stones fill in the midground. Black plums, dried cherries and toffee chips perch in the background. And occasionally a cashew hint ekes out. The palate is VERY approachable for this ABV. Black walnuts, manure, and a salty, savory broth sit up front. Sweet citrus, nectarines and baking spices are in the back. The monolithic finish is all stones, earth, salt, herbal smoke and bitter chocolate.

DILUTED TO ~50%abv, or 2 tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose goes medicinal, with lots of iodine and band-aids. But there are also candied pecans, orange peels, seaweed and manure. The palate becomes intensely salty, like ocean water and kelp. It grows sweeter and more aromatic with time, gaining a good selection of citrus fruits. It finishes salty and savory. Some mossy smoke, dark chocolate and limes appear after a while.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or >2½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Much more variety in the nose now. Industrial smoke and elephant manure. Walnuts, dried herbs and hay. Dark chocolate and cherries. The palate remains very very salty and a herbal bitterness develops around the edges. Bits of brown sugar and raspberry jam in the background. Bitter chocolate and dried stone fruits finish it up.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Immediately upon finishing my first pour from this bottle I was convinced that the 65.8% abv was a typo. It drank much too easily. Perhaps the label was supposed to read 56.8% (which was the ABV of the previous Rattray I reviewed, coincidentally), or 55.8%. I was convinced there was something fishy going on, and not the usual Weird-Era Ledaig fishiness.

But after this tasting my doubt has decreased. In fact after the tasting I was utterly hammered and my mouth was numb. And at ~46%abv, the whisky was still gigantic. Had the original ABV been 56.8%, and I'd added the same amount of water, the dilution would have dropped it to about 39%abv, and that was no 39%abv whisky.

Ignoring all the numbers, I must say this is a terrific whisky. Its sheer brutality keeps it from ascending to the 90+ point team. Heaps upon heaps of sea salt and bitter chocolate fill the palate, and Octomore-levels of peat punish the nose. And also manure. It's a manure monster. You can add water, but it won't save you.

Availability - Possibly still around on The Continent
Pricing - I bought it for $120 four years ago, now it appears to be closer to $150-$200 (pending exchange rates)
Rating - 89

Ledaig 13 year old 2005 Single Cask Nation, cask 900165

Single Cask Nation hit the big time last year as round after round of their single casks appeared then disappeared at many popular whisky retailers. The first of these releases I'll review is also the third 13-year-old Ledaig of this week.

This whisky is part of the ever expanding 900000 series of 2005 Ledaig casks that found their way to a number of independent bottlers. The cask numbers started with a pair of Berry Bros releases (900008 and 900012), then bounced around to a few random indies, then to Sansibar for several casks, then stayed with Signatory for 16 consecutive casks and then hopped over to Elixir Distillers. This SCN cask number (900165) sits in the middle of the Elixirs. Most, if not all, of the 900000s are sherry casks and many have very good reputations, especially the Siggies. Did the distillery sell or trade off this massive parcel? If so, I hope they held onto a few for official releases.

Cask 900165 is a second fill sherry butt, but the whisky is very dark, the reddest of this week's Ledaigs. I've a had few recent "refill" casks that were outrageously sherried, leaving me wondering if they were all re-seasoned and/or recharred.

This 13-year-old hit the market at $140, a price point that disincentivized me from getting a bottle. It didn't stop other folks, so I went in on a bottle split and set my expectations high.

Distillery: Tobermory
Brand: Ledaig

Owner: Distell International Ltd.
Region: Isle of Mull

Age: 13 years (Oct 2005 - March 2019)

Maturation: Second fill sherry butt

Cask: 900165
Outturn: 575 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 57.1%
Chillfiltered? No
Colorant Added? No

(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose is......yep. Need more than that? A muscular herbal peat meets moderate nutty sherry in perfect balance. There's rotting kelp, charred veg, almond extract, pound cake, one cherry lollipop and a squeeze of lemon. The palate matches the nose very well, with a lovely nuttiness and dark chocolate pairing with salty seaweed peat. Mild sweetness, a little bit of citrus and big herbal bitterness. It finishes with toasted seaweed, sooty smoke, almonds, bright bitterness and a hint of sweetness.

It pains me to reduce this. But for science:

DILUTED TO ~46.3%abv, or 1⅓ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The nose has cotton candy(?!), tar, old rye spiciness, cherry shisha and baked pears. The palate doesn't have the nose's candy shop, rather it's an intensely bitter herbal thing with some sweet white fruits providing some balance. Plenty of tar as well. White fruits, bitter herbs and tar in the finish.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
This excellent whisky from the Single Cask Nation crew leveled the other two Ledaigs in the big matchup. It was all over in the opening moments. The cask's weight and the spirit's intensity stay well-balanced (and delicious) throughout, something I don't find that often with sherry + peat. I have nothing but more hyperbole to spill about this. Expectations surpassed.

Availability - Sold out, or almost thus
Pricing - $140
Rating - 90

Ledaig 13 year old Port Pipe Matured

I may be entering more cask-driven territory now with this heavily-peated Tobermory spirit that spent its entire life in Port Pipes (probably 5 or 6, per the total outturn). Despite early negative expectations set by some whisky geeks, I have had decent experiences with many port cask matured single malts, including a few peated ones items, with Benriach's 17 year old Solstice marking the summit. I don't know why it works for a palate that could without wineskies forever. Maybe the key is tawny port? I like tawny port.

Ledaig, though. Expectation level set to: Sure, What the Hell.

Distillery: Tobermory
Brand: Ledaig

Owner: Distell International Ltd.
Region: Isle of Mull

Age: minimum 13 years

Maturation: Port pipes
Outturn: Two releases, 3,199 bottles

Bottling year: 2019

Alcohol by Volume: 58.1%
Chillfiltered? No
Colorant Added? No

(from a purchased sample)

NEAT

Opposite of what I'd anticipated, this has the most muted nose of the three Ledaigs. There's a minor Caol Ila / Ardmore-esque snuffed bonfire note and a little bit of ocean along with flowers and baked plums and blueberries. The palate feels big but its elements are difficult to discern over the first couple of sips. There's plenty of berry essence without the sugar. Smoked fish and wood smoke. Tart and bitter citrus. There's also a curious grainy note in the background. The mouth-drying finish has lots of heavy smoke, tart citrus, the aforementioned grainy note and lots of heat.

DILUTED TO ~46.3%abv, or 1½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The nose becomes very pretty with its flowers, pineapple and fruit cocktail. The smoke and ocean notes grow, and brown sugar makes an appearance. The palate is more on herbs and grasses, now. Good bitterness, subtle sweetness. Milder smoke. It finishes dry and grassy. It feels young, but no mezcal this time.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

These were certainly not wet port pipes, or they were gingerly seasoned because the fortified wine note remains minor throughout. And the pipes' large surface area prevented the whisky from getting woody. It also resulted in another youthful Ledaig. It's less funky and more friendly than the 13yo Amontillado finish, but there's also an odd drying aspect to the finish that I didn't enjoy. Expectations met, I guess, though not surpassed.

Availability - Sold out, or almost thus
Pricing - €120-€140
Rating - 84

Ledaig 13 year old Amontillado Cask Finish

Three 13-year-old Ledaigs this week! Because!

Leading off is an official 13yo that was bottled in 2017 and cost (usually) under €100 back then. The only major harrumph I'll harrumph today is regarding the "Cask Finish" as its length is unspecified, so it could have been 10 years or 10 days. A little help here, Tobermory.

Expectations set to: Moderate Enthusiasm. The official 10 is good and the first batch of the 18 was positively odd, but the three 19s I reviewed last year were disappointing. Thus I'm glad Dr. Springbank risked a bottle and sent me a sample. Time to test my luck!

Distillery: Tobermory
Brand: Ledaig

Owner: Distell International Ltd.
Region: Isle of Mull

Age: minimum 13 years

Maturation: bourbon casks for ? years, Amontillado casks for ? years/months/weeks/days
Outturn: ????

Alcohol by Volume: 59.2%
Chillfiltered? No
Colorant Added? No

(sample from Dr. Springbank. Thank you!)

NEAT

The nose is somewhat reminiscent of the weird early-90s Ledaig that disturbs some drinkers while delighting others. There's hard cheese, walnuts, baked potatoes, smoked salmon and mezcal (a.k.a. breakfast). Grasses and cocoa powder appear after some time. Ah, the sherry's in the palate. It still has the walnut and aged cheese notes but now those are met with dried berries and golden raisins. It hauls along loads of salt and a massive youthful sneaker peat wallop. It finishes hot and salty, with bitter smoke, sneaker peat and a hint of sherry.

May I attempt Distell's favorite ABV?

DILUTED TO ~46.3%abv, or 1⅔ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Though the nose is bolder and farmier, it also holds almonds cookies and peach and pear nectars. Some apple juice and ginger candy. The peat now trends towards seaweed. The palate reads both very young and very sherried, at first. Classic oloroso (not Amontillado) style, too, which is strange but we're in Ledaig Land now so...there it is. It sweetens and softens up with time. It finishes with farmy smoke and mild sweetness.

Keep going:

DILUTED TO ~40%abv, or about 1 tbsp of water per 30mL whisky

It's getting younger now? The nose is all yeasty, malty newmake, with confectioner's sugar, flowers and mint. Sugar, almonds and sneaker peat in the palate and the finish.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
This Ledaig presents the reverse of Friday's Kilkerran, wherein this whisky's original bourbon cask maturation seems to have resulted in very little maturation, and then the distillery tried to give it a little nudge with secondary sherry cask aging. It sresults in something reading half the listed age, but it works better (for me) than all those indie single-digit mezcal-Taliskers. I like this whisky best when neat where the sherry works well and the nose is the oddest. This style may be divisive. I'm more than moderately enthused, but this isn't a casual sippin' whisky.

Availability - Sold out?
Pricing - ???
Rating - 87

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

Ledaig 6 year old 2004 Murray McDavid

Gonna keep this intro brief:

I'm not a fan of this decade's rash of single cask baby whiskies, and I doubt you'll find anyone who has complained about Murray McDavid's whiskies as much as I. So, I'm setting my expectations low low low low.

My Annoying Opinions is also reviewing this whisky today. I'm curious to see what he thinks of it. I'll link to his post in the morning. And here it is!

Distillery: Tobermory
Brand: Ledaig
Owner: Distell International Ltd.
Region: Isle of Mull

Independent Bottler: Murray McDavid

Age: 6 years (2004-2010)

Maturation: sherry casks
Outturn: 1100 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltered? probably not
Color added? probably not
(Thank you, Florin!)

NOTES
Whoa, I like the nose. It's very autumnal, with moss and wet leaves. There's also a big figgy note from the sherry cask. Hints of smoked salmon and tennis ball as well. After 30 minutes, these elements all come together creating one solid unit. Similar to the nose, the palate has the autumnal notes and a sherry influence that reads mildly sweet but not jammy. Dark industrial smoke drifts around notes of honey, toffee, citrus and bitter herbs. The smoke registers the loudest on the palate. Minor notes include tart grapes, citrus and a little bit of sweetness.

A bit stunned by how much I enjoy this, I'm digging into the archive to withdraw a sample of a very difficult 6 year old 2005 Ledaig sherry cask by Blackadder for comparison purposes.

Lowering that one's ABV to 46%. Waiting a bit...

Ledaig 6 year old 2004 Murray McDavid, 46%abv
Hey here's some elephant dung in the nose. Cheers! Also burning leaves. Then dried stone fruits, tennis ball fuzz and moss. The dark industrial smoke still leads the palate. That's followed by lemon candy, honey and cayenne pepper. The finish feels longer this time. It's all dark chocolate with a mix of sweet and bitter smokes.

Ledaig 6 year old 2005 Blackadder, reduced to 46%abv
Dark chocolate and gasoline on the nose. Gigantic peatin'. Ocean air and ham. Old rubber ball. A whiff of rotten eggs. Cleaner than the nose, the palate has some good vegetal peat, a nutty note from the sherry cask and herbal bitter liqueur. Its finish is shorter than the 2004's, though it's devoid of sweetness. It's mostly big salty smoke with subtle nutty notes.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Yes, this is good. And I enjoyed it more than the 2005 in the head-to-head. Murray McDavid eschewed its usual awkward cask work which may have been the key to this whisky's success. In fact, kudos to MMcD for pulling this cask before it got all wonky, woody and winey. As it stands (or sits), the whisky is young but it avoids the Mega Mezcal notes baby peaters usually haul out. I wish I'd gotten in on this bottle back in the day (2010!) rather than the 6yo Ledaig I did buy. In any case, thank you, Florin, for sharing your bottle with us!

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???

Rating - 87

Ledaig 19 year old 1998 Pedro Ximénez Cask Finish

Monday: Ledaig 19 year old Oloroso Cask Finish, 46%abv
Wednesday: Ledaig 19 year old Madeira Cask Finish, 51%abv
Today: Ledaig 19 year old Pedro Ximenez Cask Finish, 55.7%abv

Each of these had different "finish" periods. The Oloroso expression spent 13 years in sherry casks, while Wednesday's bottling spent less than a year in Madeira casks. This whisky's PX cask finish lasted two years, so it was neither a quickie nor an extended second maturation.

I'm usually not a fan of PX finishes, but I'm willing to give this a chance because it's a 19 year old Ledaig. Expectations set to: Moderate.

Distillery: Tobermory
Brand: Ledaig

Owner: Distell International Ltd.
Region: Isle of Mull

Age: 19+ years (9 July 1998 - 2018)

Maturation: bourbon casks for 17+ years, then either "almost" or "more than" two years in Pedro Ximénez casks
Outturn: 1650 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 55.7%
Chillfiltered? No
Colorant Added? No

NEAT
The nose begins with fudge and red wine. Salty seaweedy peat. Calvados, damp moss and a hint of gunpowder. Some raw peated spirit in there too. The palate is more metallic and sweet than peaty. It gets tangier by the minute, like a lemony vinaigrette. Sooty peat and mixed berry jam notes build with time. The finish is puckeringly sweet and tangy. Bits of bitter smoke and berry jam linger behind.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Peated raspberry jam and roses on the nose, with hints of marizpan and the beach. Peaty berry jam again on the palate. It's still tangy and sweet. It's less metallic now and a little bitterer. The finish matches the palate.

Since I did it for the other two:

DILUTED TO ~40%abv, or 2⅓ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose becomes peatier and brighter. Subtler berry and rose notes. A hint of cold kiln. The palate feels very thin. Mild sweetness and bitterness. Mild peat and dried herbs. It's back to the tangy and sweet thing in the finish. A puff of bitter smoke.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
This was better than I'd expected, in fact the nose was great throughout. I'm not sure how I feel about the metal and vinegar combo in the palate. At least it wasn't winey. Unlike the other two, this one fares best at full strength, even though it has the highest ABV. Overall, it's probably a near tie with the Oloroso expression.

All three of these Ledaigs were of moderate quality. The wood rarely intruded and the grapes mostly stayed out of the palates. While that is more than one can say for the majority of finished whiskies, I'm glad to have split a bottle rather than shilled out $$$ for an entire bottle, especially at the asking price.

Availability - A few dozen retailers in the US and Europe
Pricing - $170-$200 (ex-VAT)

Rating - 84

Ledaig 19 year old Marsala Cask Finish

Though missing a standard official 18 year old, Ledaig has rolled out twelve small batch releases in four years in the 18-21 year old age range. I took part in a bottle split of three of the 19 year old releases. On Monday I reviewed the Oloroso cask finish, and on Friday I'll review the Pedro Ximenez cask finish. I bring thee the Marsala cask finish today.

That "Marsala" part does not inspire optimism. In my humble opinion, Ardbeg shit the bed with their Marsala cask Galileo release in 2012 and haven't successfully washed the stain out since. While I don't have an issue with wine casks in general, the combination of sweet wine and peat and a brief finish indeed leaves me with a weird taste in my mouth. From what I've read today's whisky spent less than a year in these casks. How will that work with Ledaig's fierce spirit?

Distillery: Tobermory
Brand: Ledaig

Owner: Distell International Ltd.
Region: Isle of Mull

Age: minimum 19 years

Maturation: bourbon casks for 19 years, Marsala casks for ? months
Outturn: ????

Alcohol by Volume: 51%
Chillfiltered? No
Colorant Added? No

NEAT
The nose has more classic peat than that of the Oloroso cask release. Salty seaweed. A boat dock in the summer heat. Hint of apple. But that's it. This is the flattest of the three neat noses. The palate leads with a baking spice note that ramps up with time. Make that a pumpkin spice note. It's hot and salty, though palatable. Tangy and sweet peat. Hint of metal. It gets much sweeter with time. It finishes warm, tangy and peppery, with some cigarettes and metal.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or ⅔ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
A messy nose. Butter, butterscotch, brine, wood smoke and flat peat. The palate's also out of whack. Metal, cinnamon candy, mixed nuts. Very burnt and bitter. The woody burnt bitterness takes over the finish.

40%abv worked for the Oloroso expression so...

DILUTED TO ~40%abv, or 1⅔ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Citrus peel, brown sugar and pickle brine(!) enter the nose, and somehow work together. The palate softens up. It's less bitter, burnt and metallic. There's a neatness to the peatness, sweetness, tanginess and nuttiness. The finish matches the palate.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Huh, 40%abv works best for the nose. The palate is fine at 51%abv and 40%abv, but not fine at 46%abv. It's not winey, but there does seem to be something quirky going on with the casks. It's also not really Ledaig-ish.

Since this seems to be a face-off at 40%abv, I'd take the Oloroso version over this one. But this Marsala cask finish is no FAIL. It's more of a WHY? Why the Marsala finish? Why not an 18 year old bourbon cask Ledaig at cask strength? Why do I bother to ask?

Availability - A couple dozen retailers on the Western Hemisphere
Pricing - $150-$190 (ex-VAT)

Rating - 81 (diluted only, but careful with the water!)

Ledaig 19 year old 1998 Oloroso Cask Finish

Tobermory distillery has rolled out a slew of 18+ year old versions of their peated, Ledaig, single malt over the past four years:

• 18 year old small batches, 1 through 3
• 19 year old finished in Oloroso casks
• 19 year old finished in Marsala casks
• 19 year old finished in PX casks
• 21 year old finished in Manzanilla casks
• 21 year old finished in Ruby Port pipes
• 1996 Vintage
• 18 year old finished in "Spanish Sherry" casks, distillery only
• 19 year old finished in Oloroso casks, distillery only
• 20 year old finished in Moscatel casks, distillery only

It's curious that they haven't just rolled out a regular official 18 and/or 21 year old. Is the above approach more fun? Or is it a path to charge more for their whisky? Or were/are there cask issues? Or someone was inspired by the Bills Lumsden and Walker?

I recently got in on bottle splits of the 19 year old Oloroso, Marsala and PX finishes because I was very curious about the results.

---

The Oloroso cask bottling is not a "finish" in the current sense. The whisky spent its first six years in bourbon casks, then the next 13 years in Oloroso casks. So it's a secondary maturation, not a quickie fix, but the producer's honesty is appreciated.

The other two 19s this week have briefer finishes than this. And unlike the other two 19s, this whisky was reduced to the Tobermory/Ledaig standard level of 46.3%abv.

Distillery: Tobermory
Brand: Ledaig

Owner: Distell International Ltd.
Region: Isle of Mull

Age: 19+ years (Summer 1998 - 2018)

Maturation: bourbon casks (1998-2004), then Oloroso casks (2004-2018)
Outturn: ????

Alcohol by Volume: 46.3%
Chillfiltered? No
Colorant Added? No

NEAT
The nose is very oceanic; by that I mean actual ocean water. Joining the ocean are notes of smoked salmon & chives, and locker room mustiness. Smaller notes of dark chocolate, lemon zest and charred grill crust linger in the background. The monolithic palate is charry and sooty, loaded with bitter dark chocolate, sea salt and smoked nuts. It gets bitterer and saltier with time. The bitter chocolate transitions to dark chocolate (74% if I'm being an a-hole) in the finish. An apple cider note gets pushed down by salt, soot and bitterness.

This is a near palate-killer at a mere 46.3%abv. I'm going to dilute it...

DILUTED TO ~40%abv, or ~1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Though the ocean note takes over the nose, moments of grill smoke, moss and blackberries mingle well. The palate's bitterness improves greatly. Meanwhile there's an added tanginess, a vegetal peat and a slight nuttiness. The finish matches the palate.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
As entertaining as the nose is at bottling strength, the palate was ugly. And not good ugly, more like stunted and unpalatable. The whisky becomes a much better balanced and more approachable drink at 40%abv. So, I certainly recommend dilution.

Still, I expected better. The official 10 year old has good balance, clearer unique characteristics and possibly more complexity than this whisky, and at ⅓ the price. I'm hoping this isn't a hint as to why there isn't a standard 18 year old in the range. How will the other two 19 year olds fare?

Availability - A few European/UK retailers
Pricing - $140-$160 (ex-VAT)

Rating - 84 (diluted only; nearly 5-8 points lower when neat)

Mathilda Malt: Tobermory 32 year old 1972, red label

And now back to selfish reviews of impossible-to-find scotch.

Part of what makes this 32yo Tobermory impossible-to-find is its actual scarcity. The other thing that labels it impossible-to-find is (SPOILER ALERT) its quality. It's a dark rich old whisky that hasn't lost all of the original spirit's character nor grown tannic. It's also sulphur-free, for those concerned about that.

A little bit of history:

Tobermory/Ledaig distillery has a habit of closing. It was open from 1798-1837, then closed until 1878. It ran until 1930, when it closed. It reopened in 1972, then closed in 1975. It reopened in 1979, then stopped production three years later. It started up again in 1989, running until 2017 when the doors shut for two years of repairs. It reopened this year.

The 1972 reboot marked a year or two of whisky that is beloved by older generations of single malt geeks. I have no real opinion about the 1972 Tobermory (known then as Ledaig) malts. I had one previous to today's '72. It was very good, but I've found Tobermory/Ledaig's output to be very good during more recent years as well, and cheaper and available. Still, when Cobo sent me a treasure box of samples a while back, I was very very excited to see this whisky.

Thank you, Cobo!

Distillery name now: Tobermory
Distillery name then: Ledaig
Ownership now: Distell International
Ownership then: Ledaig Distillery Ltd.
Region: Isle of Mull
Age: 32 years (1972 - 2005)
Maturation: "finished in oloroso sherry casks"
Outturn: 1,710 bottles
Bottle number: 443
Alcohol by Volume: 49.5%

There are a few official 1972 Tobermories. This is the one with the red label.

The nose is calm, almost patient, revealing aspects gradually. Pipe tobacco, moss, coal smoke and dunnage. Cocoa powder, dried cherries, Carpano Antica. A hint of dried cheese. Mild medicinal notes drift through the background. The palate moves more boldly. Tar, cigars and coal smoke. Dried cherries and golden raisins floating in Underberg. In-season plums and blackberries. The walls of a moldy dunnage (You mean you haven't licked them? He asks.). The finish holds that balance of cigars / coal smoke / dunnage + dried berries / fresh berries / fresh plums. And "no tannin tongue?!?"

Yeah, I don't know how long this was "finished" in sherry casks, but there ain't no other sherry "finish" like this. Mercy. This is beautiful whisky. The 1990 Littlemill, though very good, did not stand a chance against it. I think the Tobermory goes for $800-$1000 on the secondary market and, though I won't comment on that price, I do agree it is luxurious. It made me close my MacBook, lean back in my chair, watch the rain fall softly against the window and think of absolutely nothing. Upstairs, Mathilda was having her quiet time. Downstairs, Papa was having his.

Availability - Secondary market
Pricing - $800-$1000
Rating - 93

Ledaig Ledaig Ledaig

Though Ledaig is one of my favorite single malts, I haven't reviewed many bottlings since the brand became hip. Its popularity blossomed right about the time, around five years ago, when a certain influential whisky blogger declared that Ledaig was the new old Ardbeg (which really makes about as much sense as when I declared Mike Trout to be the new young Willie Mays, seven years ago; it's enthusiasm-powered goofy shorthand by both of us).

If you're looking for reviews of Ledaig's lovely sherry casks, sorry, you may abandon ship here. I'm digging into three relatively current Ledaigs, all of which come from former bourbon casks. I tasted these three together in order of ABV, which was also in order of oldest to youngest.

Ledaig 12 year old Gordon & MacPhail, Discovery range, 43%abv

I had minimal expectations for this whisky, a first for Ledaig and I. Other than the Highland Park 8yo, low abv G&Ms are thin and bland on my palate. A boring Ledaig would be a waste of Tobermory's peated distillate and a darned shame. So here goes the oldest and lightest of the trio:

NOTES
Cardamom, cinnamon and chives season a bright vegetal peat in the nose. The peat gets feistier with time, bringing in a whiff of elephant manure and lemon peels. It reads much bigger than 43%abv. The palate is gently peppery and sweet, but has a peatier smoke (or smokier peat) than the nose. Lime juice, apricots, sweet bell peppers, fresh herbs and arugula. A smoky hot pepper sauce stays the longest in the finish, followed by notes of arugula and sweet oranges. Good length to it all.

Surprise! Thanks to low oak levels and no bludgeoning peat, this makes for a good whisky. The nose is great, and though the finish is simple I enjoyed it. If one could design a casual sippin' Ledaig, this would be it. Would it have been better bottled at the OB's 46.3% strength? Probably, though it would also likely be a different experience at that strength. If only G&M would bring this to The States and price it at $49.99 then perhaps I'd buy this for the autumn.

Availability - A few dozen European whisky retailers
Pricing - Europe: €50-€65 (w/VAT)

Rating - 84

---

Ledaig 10 year old, Official Bottling, 46.3%abv


This baby was the real motivation behind today's tasting. I reviewed it 6½ years ago (holy crap!) and was less enthused by it than most folks whose palates I respect. Since life and whisky batches (no matter the size) change despite all resistance, it is time to take in a larger sample of the official Ledaig 10.

NOTES
The nose is somehow even greener than the G&M 12yo, with bundles of fresh herbs. Yes, there's peat, but also a steady waft of ocean air, met with cheerful(!?) lemon peels and citronella, then hints of eucalyptus and toasted marshmallows. A peat richer and more complex than the 12's radiates across the palate, with salty ocean notes, charred meat and veg. Lemons and limes that start tart then turn sweet. Hints of herbal bitterness and vanilla pudding actually work together. Honey, limes, smoke, chili oil and dried herbs load up the enormous finish.

Yeah, I like this a lot. In fact, this would knock something off "My 25 favorite single malts under $80" list. It's great, complex, delicious whisky at just 10 years old. In fact, with Ledaig, Springbank, Benromach, Ardmore and peated Benriach on the market, official Islays aren't faring so well in the OB peated whisky world anymore. Back to this whisky. Ledaig 10 year old is so much better than I'd remembered, and cheaper than the 12yo G&M.

Availability - Most whisky retailers
Pricing - Europe: €35-€55 (w/VAT), USA $50-$70

Rating - 88

---

Ledaig 7 year old 2010 van Wees The Ultimate, cask 700411, 59.7%abv


I had to have one full-powered humdinger in the group. And though I frequently criticize the indie bottlers who pile <8yo single casks upon European whisky retailers, I did like a 6yo Caol Ila last December, so I was willing to risk annihilating my senses for the possibility of a good baby Ledaig.

NOTES

NEAT
The nose begins with salty grilled shellfish, hot tar and scallions.  toasted barley note arises miraculously from the peat fog. It's also not nearly as hot as the ABV would lead one to expect. Hints of vanilla and melon rind mix with all the kiln notes. Manure and lemon peel show up after 20+ minutes of air. The peat is more green than smoky on the palate. Ocean water, limes, fresh herbs and cinnamon candy. It gets sweeter with time, almost minty actually. The warm, but not hot, finish is herbal and peppery, with just a little bit of sweetness and a lot of ocean water.

DILUTED TO ~46.3%abv, or 1¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Massively farmy, the nose holds onto its ocean notes, but is otherwise much different than when neat. There's cocoa powder, rock candy, yeast and onions. Yep. The palate is loaded with green herbs and wood smoke, as well as very tart limes and salt. It finishes with peppery smoke, herbal bitterness and a little bit of brown sugar.

This is neither crap nor a palate wrecker. Success! It's more aggressive than the previous two, but that was to be expected. Youthful but not punishing. I like the quirky (Ledaig!) nose and find the palate very approachable. Still didn't van Wees give it another 3-5 years in the cask. The race isn't fully run, the cake ain't baking, the bread is par baked, the whisky has barely matured past new make. Not only that, but at 10-12 years old van Wees could've charged 50-100% more. I dunno. Good whisky, but what might have been...

Availability - A few European retailers
Pricing - Europe: €50-€65 (w/VAT)

Rating - 82