Review by: Raygun

Another Ledaig in bourbon. This one from Archives, the IB from Whiskybase. Archives’ labels feature animals that often relate to the market for the bottle: Butterflies of the USA bottles are for the American market, for example. However, the Fishes of Samoa series are not for the Samoan market, but seem to be general releases. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 20 minutes.

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Distillery: Tobermory (Ledaig)

Bottler: Archives    

Region/style: Islands single malt Scotch

ABV: 54%

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

Cask type: Bourbon hogshead #463117, 128 bottles     

Color: 0.4 jonquil. Natural color and non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Noticeably similar to the TWA Ledaig from the same year I reviewed recently. More coastal, like a seaside grill. Biscuits. Some furniture polish and vanilla.                          

Palate: Intensely briny. Seared scallops and vanilla pudding. Biscuits with butter. Might be the saltiest Ledaig I’ve ever had. Very creamy, too. Somewhere between butter and soft cheese. Not the most variety of flavors, but very defined and vivid. The cheesy flavor intensifies with time. It’s a powerful one overall.      

Finish: Salty, creamy, and mildly sweet again. Seared seafood. The buttery, cheesy flavor develops. Hints of white wine. It’s very Ledaig. One of the most coastal whiskies I’ve had. Very long.   

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Conclusion: Another terrific Ledaig. I’ve had some Tobermory I didn’t love, but Ledaig is incredibly consistent. Can’t recall having a bad one. Once again shows why it’s among my favorite peated whiskies. A little short of the sherried expressions I reviewed recently, but still great stuff. 

Score: 88

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)