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.

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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

Things I Really Drink: Hatozaki Finest Blended Whisky

Not every TIRD is a gem, but today's TIRD is of some interest. From the Kaikyō (not to be confused with the Kaiyō brand) Distillery, this blend is nearly colorless, looking almost like vodka in the glass. I appreciate companies that show little interest in e150a.

The distillery was built at the Akashi Sake Brewery and seems to be owned by a Swedish company that also has its hooks in the Torabhaig and The Borders distilleries as well as the Mossburn bottlers.

As for the blend, the official site says the batches have a minimum 40% malt content, and contain whiskies up to 12 years of age. Since the distillery went online five years ago, we're all left to guess where the actual liquid comes from. I did notice one thing of interest: My bottle's label says "Finest Japanese Whisky", while the official site's bottle label says "Finest Blended Whisky". One can only wonder the size of the carbon footprint on this one...

Brand: Hatozaki
Ownership: Mossburn Distillers
Distilleries: ???

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

Maturation: maybe "Bourbon, Sherry cask, some Japanese native Mizunara oak barrels and some hybrid casks including those with cherry wood heads", though that's unofficial

Alcohol by Volume: 40%

NOTES

Yep, the casks are scarce in the nose. Barley, yeast, sugar and VOCs arrive first. Then fresh lemons and wheatgrass. It gets very yeasty with time.

It has a light watery texture, but is bereft of common cheap blend ugliness on the palate. It's moderately salty and grainy, with a small dose of confectioner's sugar. But its gin-like juniper note gives the whisky its own character.

It finishes grainy but not grim. It's slightly peppery with a dash of graphite.

It completely vanishes into a highball, which isn't the worst thing. One may need to be more conservative with the soda water and bitters than I was. But this stuff vanished quickly in the late summer.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I respect the release of something so close to the grain, so far from the oak, and without aggressive coloration. It's better than any cheap NAS Scotch blend, and more pleasant than many of the age-stated ones. It's probably designed to be light as air, and thus succeeds. The finish falls short, probably due to maximum dilution and youth, keeping this stuff from getting into the B- range. But if it keeps its current price point I'd consider getting another bottle next summer to see how it competes with Suntory's Toki.

Availability - Possibly several hundred US retailers
Pricing - $35-$50 in the USA
Rating - 78

Kaiyō 8 year old "K&L Exclusive" cask 543

Onto the last of the three Kaiyō, then maybe I'll get to a pair of Japanese blends before the week is out. The Sheri was better than expected, Cask 541 was Craftier than expected, so will Cask 543 will be ???er than expected?

Brand: Kaiyō
Ownership: Harvey the Pooka
Type: Vatted, or Blended, Malt
Country: Japan
Age: 8 years old

Bottled: 2019 or 2020

Maturation: 7.5 years in Mizunara oak then one year in a ruby port pipe

Cask #: 543
Exclusive to: K&L Wine Merchants
Alcohol by Volume: 56%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose begins with a clunky combo of caramel, metal and saline, but it blossoms with time. Apricot jam, honey, blackberries, black peppercorns and a touch of tawny port. The palate feels almost fizzy. And it's a real sweetie. Lots of black cherry soda and lime candy. Mild bitterness in the background. It finishes with black cherry and flowers. Plenty of sugar and just a little bitterness.

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

Apples, cardamom and honey in the nose's fore, a hint of coffee grounds in the back. It's much oakier now, with wood spice, tannins, pepper and bitterness. It finishes with a green oak bitterness.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Three Kaiyōs, three mizunara maturations smothered by other casks. That Japanese oak is rare and expensive, so I'm not sure what the point of using it is as long as it gets killed off in each release. Despite that mystery, I enjoyed cask 543 as a dessert malt. It's very sweet and juicy, but that's the port pipe talking. Dilution harms the palate, so I encourage you to keep this one neat.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $99.99
Rating - 81 (neat only)

Kaiyō 8 year old "K&L Exclusive" cask 541

Kaiyō, the Japanese whisky brand with curious origins, has range of whiskies with names that borrow the definite article convention of certain Scotch distilleries. There's The Sheri, The Peated, The Single and The Signature. They've also rolled out several single casks for a trio of American whisky retailers. I have samples of the pair of K&L casks. First up, the refill hoggie finish...

Brand: Kaiyō
Ownership: The Easter Bunny
Type: Vatted, or Blended, Malt
Country: Japan
Age: 8 years old

Bottled: 2019 or 2020

Maturation: 7.5 years in Mizunara oak then one year in 2nd-fill hogshead

Cask #: 541
Exclusive to: K&L Wine Merchants
Alcohol by Volume: 56%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

Eau de vie mixes with golden delicious apples, white peaches, toasted oak and saline in the nose. It gradually trades the eau for flowers blossoms and a touch of cream soda. The sharp, hot, sweet and floral palate is very barley-forward, reading like a mix of lemons, grass and pilsner. It finishes with sweet and tangy citrus, a little bit of metal and a lot of black pepper.

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

The nose is all apples and pears in caramel sauce. Now loaded with caramel, the palate reads almost like a Canadian whisky, just caramel, vanilla, metal and black pepper. The finish is just one big extra-sugary caramel blanket.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Mizunara casks are usually very subtle. In cask 541, the Japanese oak has been overwhelmed by the spirit (not a bad thing) and the American oak (not a good thing), appearing only slightly in the nose. What we're left with is a Craft whisky. It's an unfinished sentence with an exclamation point at the end. While yesterday's The Sheri felt more "produced", it also seemed more complete, a benefit that well-blended batches often have.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $99.99
Rating - 79