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

Things I Really Drink: The Tottori Blended Whisky

Yes, I did indeed give some of these "Japanese" blends a go. Not because they're "Japanese", but because they're sorta like World Whisky. There's probably Scotch, Irish, Canadian and/or American whisky involved, and maybe a dash of something from the land of Amaterasu (though probably just water).

Today's the whisky will be Matsui's The Tottori blend.

Something something 1910. I'm sorry, I don't have the energy for these shenanigans. The distillery was built in 2017, and the blends hit the shelves in 2015. How about the whisky?

Brand: Tottori
Ownership: Matsui-Shuzo
Distilleries: ???

Country: ?????
Type: blend
Age: minimum three years old

Maturation: "White Oak"

Alcohol by Volume: 43%

NOTES

Vanilla, roses, and buttercream frosting appear first in the nose, followed later by granola and something very sugary. Wow, the palate is sweet. Lots of berry candy up front, a little bit of grassiness in the back. After 30 minutes it turns into cardboard and lavender flowers. It finishes with sugar, artificial berry flavoring, woody bitterness and blood/iron.

At its best as a highball, the whisky merges well with citrus bitters.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Pros:

• 43%abv rather than 40%
• Pretty nose
• Stands up to club soda decently

Cons:

• The palate collapses as it gets aired out
• The finish
• Found this bottle to be too much work to get through. Dumped the last quarter.

I'd take the Hatozaki blend over this, especially considering their similar price points.

Availability - Slightly scarcer than the Hatozaki
Pricing - $40-$55 in the USA
Rating - 75