Review by: Raygun

IB Ledaig is hardly rare, so I’m not sure why this particular bottle is a secret island distillery. The Whisky Agency is a German bottler. Tends to be pricey, but very good from what I’ve had. This was a joint bottling with The Nectar, a Belgian importer and wholesaler. Hard to imagine Ledaig in a bourbon cask could go wrong. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 15 minutes.

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Distillery: A secret island distillery (Ledaig)

Bottler: The Whisky Agency    

Region/style: Islands single malt Scotch

ABV: 52.4%

Age: 22 years old. Distilled in 1997 and bottled in 2019.      

Cask type: Bourbon hogshead        

Color: 1.1. burnished. Natural color and non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Rather clean smoke, without much of the vegetal character Ledaig often has. Yet still clearly Ledaig. Charred lemon, shrimp grilling on the beach, woodsmoke. Some brioche and wood shop.                         

Palate: Gets a little richer with some sugar cookies, even croissant that are on the verge of burning. More briny flavor. Grilled shrimp and lemon zest. Doesn’t have the most variety of flavor, but what it does have is nicely developed. More pastry quality with time. Like lemon tart, maybe. But smoky. Has that very Ledaig taste that I can’t describe well. Gets more butter flavor with water. The brine is amped up, too.    

Finish: Goes down almost too easily. There’s a warm mellowness compared with younger Ledaig, more rounded oak. Still quite smoky, but not in an aggressive way. More vanilla here, but there’s still some lemon and pastry. Nice length.    

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Conclusion: It was hard to imagine that a 22 year old Ledaig would be bad and…it’s very good. Not major surprises; just about what I’d expect from an older Ledaig in a bourbon cask. I do gravitate a little more toward Ledaig in sherry, as in the two I reviewed recently. Those were probably the best I’ve had from the distillery though. This is still great, and I’d be happy with a bottle. Such a consistent product.

Score: 87

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)