Review by: Raygun

Not a ton of information about this. Burn Stewart bought Tobermory in 1993 and started releasing Ledaig 10 in 2007, which means this cask was bottled not long after they more or less settled on what they wanted from Ledaig. Despite that, it seems like it was an experimental run, as this was peated to over 100ppm, and I’m sure standard Ledaig is a good bit less than that. Possibly why this cask never went into Ledaig 18 or any other vatted release. In any case, it was left in a sherry cask for 25 years and is now available as a handfill bottle at the distillery, or was until recently at any rate. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 10 minutes.

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Distillery: Tobermory (Ledaig) 

Bottler: Tobermory (Ledaig)   

Region/style: Islands single malt Scotch

ABV: 53.1%. Cask strength.

Age: 25 years old. Distilled in 1998 and bottled sometime in 2024.   

Cask type: Sherry #360  

Color: 1.3 russet. Natural color and non-chillfiltered.

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Nose: Very maritime, with a pronounced earthy funk. I sometimes get rotting vegetation from Ledaig (no surprise when that’s essentially what peat is), and that’s the case here. Not overly smoky. Some berries and prunes, but the sherry is more a supporting note.                        

Palate: Wow. The nose really undersold this. Explodes on the palate. Berries, plum sauce, roast duck, and lots of earthy, vegetal funk. Dirty and industrial more than smoky. There’s a great meaty and savory flavor to it, harmonizing very well with the sweetness. Based on the color and flavor, I’m guessing a refill cask: not strongly sherried.  

Finish: Goes on and on. Meaty, fruity, and yes, very dirty. I’ve never had roast duck with plum sauce in a machine shop, but I imagine this is close. Savory, fruity, and lots of industrial filth. Blends together into a perfect chord. Never had a Ledaig like this.     

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Conclusion: Damn. This is something. The notes might not sound great, but if you like dirty, funky peat, this hits that so hard. I’ve had some Tobermory that was dirty like this, but not a Ledaig at this level. This would be from relatively early on after Burn Stewart bought it, and they seem to be making a cleaner style now. Which is great, don’t get me wrong, but man, I’d love some more like this. What a stunner. 

Score: 92

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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)