Review by: The Muskox
This is a limited-edition distillery bottling of everyone’s (on Reddit, at least) favourite peated island distillery.
Distillery: Tobermory.
Bottler: Official bottling.
Region: Islands (Isle of Mull).
ABV: 59.2%. Cask strength.
Age: 13 years.
Cask type: Finished in Amontillado sherry casks.
Price: N/A, sample.
Color: Dark gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: That’s Ledaig, alright. Medicinal peat, bonito flake, green olive, dirt, rubber, and strong coastal funk. There’s definitely a thick layer of sweet syrupy sherry on top. There’s a certain creamy nuttiness, like hazelnut or pistachio. Orange peel and white cherry, too. Gets more fruitcake-y with time: more dried fruit, plum, honeycomb, banana and nutmeg start to emerge.
Palate: Syrupy texture. Sweet candied citrus leads quicky into intense peat smoke and honey. Rounds off into yellow fruit, banana and more honey. Candied almonds, or some kind of nut brittle. Some dark chocolate and pepper at the back, with a hit of sherry coming through.
I decided to add a few mLs of water. It mellowed the peat blast a bit, and added a creamy milk chocolate and nougat-y note in the middle. There’s some bitter oak and nuttiness coming through now.
I tried adding even more water, as I felt it could take it. It just mellowed it more, without adding a whole lot.
Finish: Medium-short. Gets much sweeter all of a sudden. Apple, pear, lemon, ginger, and dried apricots. More honey, nougat, and creamy chocolate. A little bit of vanilla and brown sugar. Turns sweet and floral, somewhere in the realm of basil and lavender. Just a touch of a cooked-mushroom and nori savoury note underneath.
Conclusion: Ok, I was ready to declare my disappointment in this one, how I don’t like Ledaig as much as seemingly everyone else, how the finish was too short, et cetera. I felt I needed to give this one another shot though, and the second glass changed my mind. The nose showed more syrupy sherry sweetness, and the funk wasn’t quite so intrusive. The peat blast on the palate seemed more integrated, and was supplemented by a lovely creamy nuttiness. The finish is now my favourite part: the bonfire smoke lifts into this wonderful floral, sweet, nougat-y note. Like a Toblerone tossed into a swamp. It’s still not a life-changing dram for me, but it goes to show that giving a dram another shot is often worth it.
Final Score: 84.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 