SMWS 42.52 Wood Smoke through a Porthole (Ledaig 13)

Review by: Raygun

Ledaig is about my favorite peated Scotch. Remarkably consistent and their peat profile clicks with me. Tobermory, the unpeated version, is more uneven. Ledaig, don’t think I’ve had a bad one. Sample and pic from Whiskery Turnip. Rested about 10 minutes.

Distillery: Tobermory (Ledaig) 

Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Region/style: Island single malt Scotch

ABV: 58.1%

Age: 13 years. Distilled on March 29, 2007. 

Cask type: Refill bourbon hogshead, 275 bottles.

Color: 0.3 pale gold. Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: Coastal, yes, but I’d call it burnt toast more than wood smoke, with a dash of swimming pool. Smoked salmon, lemon, and rosemary. With time, a pleasant note of applewood smoke.     

Palate: Now that’s more like Ledaig. Got some of the vegetal funk. Charred lemon, smoked fish, and fennel. Caramel richness comes out here, and a kind of smoky custard with some black pepper. Something a bit chemical and plastic-like that I’m not loving, but it recedes with time. Gets sweeter with rest as well, with more caramel and lemon custard.  

Finish: Burnt toast comes back. Smoked fish, fennel, caramel, and lemon. Not too different from the palate, to sum up. More lemon, I’d say, and more herbal. Nice mix of sweet, briny, and smoky. A bit of artificial sweetener. 

Conclusion: Very solid and representative of Ledaig. A lot of the same notes I found in an Archives Ledaig I finished off a while ago, also a bourbon cask. At first I thought I liked this better, but on my second go-round I felt they were more on par. Then I changed my mind again. Had a hard time making up my mind with this one. There’s a little chemical aspect at times, the swimming pool and artificial sweetener, that brings it down a little. Other times, I don’t notice it. In any case, it’s good, but not the best Ledaig has to offer. 

Buy a bottle? Wouldn’t pay the SMWS premium for this.

Score: 80

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
  • 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)

Published by Raygun

Unknown's avatar

I drank Scotch occasionally (mostly at family gatherings) for years, but started getting more interested after an introduction and tasting from a Scottish acquaintance. That led to buying my first bottle (Highland Park 12). Now 600+ spirits later, Scotch is still my first love, but I drink other whisky and dabble in brandy as well.

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