Ledaig 18 Year

Islands Scotch Single Malt Whisky

The Distillery

Tobermory Distillery is located on the Isle of Mull, in the Islands region of Scotland. Tobermory produces the Ledaig range of whiskies as their peated line. The distillery closed in 1837 and reopening in 1878, the distillery was acquired in 1890 by John Hopkins and Company. Today, Tobermory is the only distillery on the Isle of Mull. The distillery has quite a small annual capacity of just one million litres and runs at but three quarters of this capacity. In 1930, the distillery closed and was used as a power plant. It was not the only time Tobermory had been used for purposes other than whisky distillation; in 1982 the buildings were leased to a dairy company who used them for storing cheese. The distillery uses malted barley which is shipped from the Port Ellen maltings at the South-East of Islay, also home to a more recent experiment whereby some casks are sent for maturation on the island, these are bottled as Ledaig. The usual releases show us that when it’s bottled Tobermory then no or little peat has been used in the production but when it is released as Ledaig there is a high amount of peat content in the production and therefor a smoky whisky is created.

As much as Ledaig feels like it should read as “Le-day-g” it is actually pronounced “Letch-ick”, which was a massive shock to me after saying Ledaig wrong about 237 times before learning this.

Tobermory and Ledaig are some of the most underrated whiskies on the market at the moment and im thrilled to have discovered them for myself in 2021.

The Region

Islands, Scotland

The Whisky Review

46.3%
ABV
18 Years
Age
Sherry Finished
Cask Type
Non Chill Filtered
Chill Filtration

Nose 5/5

Intoxicating and addictive, this nose is something else. Intense fruity sweetness intermingles expertly with earthy peat, oily smoke, woody forest and sea spray. Umami notes (pleasant savoury) poke their head in and out throughout the process. It feels different every time i go back, constantly evolving with air and time. Ledaig whisky always seems to have a note on the nose that reminds me of my dad working in the garage as a mechanic when i was a kid with a twinge of mechanical oiliness that gives it extra nostalgia points for me.

Palate 4.5/5

Great mouthfeel, viscous and oily. Sweet fruits play with a mossy woodiness, dark chocolate, cinnamon scroll pastries. Slight herbal notes follow with sea salt and citrus.

Finish 4.7/5

Looooooooooooooong finish, my lord does this thing ever end?

Charcoal BBQ, sticky sweetness like the glaze on some smoked pork ribs are the opening act, follwoed by sticky date pudding, fennel and lingers with sweet smoke and a salty twang.

The Verdict

Impeccable whisky worthy of the top shelf. If you couldn’t tell by now i absolutely dig this whisky, one of – if not the best peated whisky i have tried to date. It comes with great packaging, which personally i feel is a necessity for a whisky in this price range and it delivers.

The nose is simply intoxicating and draws you in over and over again, refusing to let go. It has fantastic complexity and balance across all 3 stages with that superb balance of sherry sweetness with the oily smokiness and a touch of savoury BBQ.

Thank god this is a core range whisky, because its going to become a permanent fixture on my shelf, replaced before its finished each time.