Ledaig 18 Years Old ~ 46.3% (Distell)
- Island single malt scotch whisky
- 46.3% ABV,
- £77.95 for 70cl
- Score: 86/100
What they say:
Ledaig 18YO is described as a “wonderfully smoky” single malt, with sweet and floral aromas combined with the “richness and warmth” of sea salt and smoke.
“Ledaig 18 Year Old is the result of nearly two decades of careful maturation and meticulous craftsmanship,” expressed MacMillan. “For this expression, I’ve returned to the distillery’s roots to create a malt which represents the rebirth of the style of whisky that would have originally been produced at Tobermory.”
What I say:
Alongside Burn Stewarts’ Deanston 18 Years Old expression was this equally delicious looking Ledaig 18 Years Old. Produced at Tobermory distillery on the Isle of Mull, Ledaig represents the peated output from the distillery. This 18 Years Old expression is labelled as a Small Batch Sherry Wood Finish – evident immediately in the colour and aroma.
Colour:
Burnished copper gold (13/20) small slow droplet tears leave fine trails
Nose:
Peat smoke wafting gently out of a chimney, rubber wellington boots by the same peat fire, sugared and roasted almonds, hot water bottles, sweet vanilla, hazelnut, roasted chestnuts, sweet candies and icing sugar, tanned leather, and finally a hot cup of cocoa
Taste:
Initially nutty, marzipan, hazelnut paste, hot roasted chestnuts, then Oloroso red fruits, berries and raisins, figs, some leather, coffee, chocolate, almonds and hazelnuts, a slightly industrial rubber, copper and sulphur add depth before the earthy peat influence arrives, this softens into salted caramel, toffee oak wood, sugared almonds before becoming wispy peat smoke
Finish:
Long, rubbery peat, zesty and sour with lots of strong and bitter dark chocolate
Overall:
A superb nose, I imagined myself on Mull, sitting in a cottage drying my feet before an open peat fire while my wellies dried off from the horizontal rain lashing outside, eating a bowl of mixed caramelised nuts and washing it down with a hot cup of cocoa – heaven! This one does not disappoint, even the slightly industrial drying and rubbery peaty nature of Ledaig that can sometimes overpower more gentle expressions is here balanced beautifully with the richness of fruits and nuts from the sherry wood influence. Grab yourself a glass of the island life and enjoy!
The Whiskyphiles 
Leave a comment