Ledaig 18 Year

A good way to end the year, marking 116 Distiller entries for 2023. I am extremely grateful to the mighty @cascode who has sent me many of my tastings this year. With one more left from him after this one I felt I would make 2023 end on a high note with this 18 year old Ledaig and distiller whisky review #250. I loved Tobermory 12 and likely need a bottle back on my shelf. Ledaig 10 I described as: “Like a surgeons scalpel this is precise and delicate, but effective. The peat is beautifully restrained and just melts into the palate. Clean, crisp, and well made. well worth the buy.” I can’t imagine this pour from the Isle of Mull will be anything less than excellent… N: A richly earthy coolness envelopes everything. The earthiness is best described as a mildly mineral and oaky tar smoke. Blended seamlessly through the wafts of cool smoke are dark chocolate, cherry, leather, citrus zest, and a delicate honey sweetness. I am almost hesitant to drink this now, what if the follow through doesn’t live up to this exceptional nose? P: Oily and full bodied with a wonderful juiciness that has me salivating. The earthy nose translates directly to the palate but reveals a slightly brown sugar-malt crunch, perhaps like cookie dough? There is refreshing sweetness from something akin to melon juice, preserved lemon rinds. Roundness and fullness get delivered by nut butter. Interest and zing from spices of pepper, ginger and the slightest chilli. Tannins are restrained and pair well with the smoke which is almost like a smouldering hay-bale. F: Long. Part oily, part dry. Wonderfully crisp, firm but gentle oak spice, creosote and the suggestion of sea-spray (lick a beach pebble; thats the suggestion). This is not a whisky that will bowl you over with complexity and nuance, it wont take you to new flavours or sensations found no where else. But, I’ll be damned if it isn’t near perfect in spite of that. This is expertly made whisky. Every component part has clearly been understood and respected; good whisky well made as it should be. Simplicity and precision need to be bought back into the limelight (I’m looking at you new world whisky; Israel, Australia, Taiwan, England). Despite being relatively straightforward there is still depth and gravitas to the profile and it will still pull you into the glass to savour every drop. Taking a leaf out of @ContemplativeFox book I know i’m not giving this a five. The four drams I have given 5/5 to are outrageous spectacles in my mind. But, I’m left wondering if this is 4.5 or 4.75. 4.75 is the territory of Talisker 18, Highland Park 18 and 25. 4.5 is busier with notable liquids of Ardbeg Uigeadail and Corryvreckan, Highland Park Mjolner, Arran Argonne, The LakesReserve, Laphroig Lore, and Talisker 8 y/o 2021. 4.75 is a pretty hallowed ground in my book and looking back at my reviews the key element through my three 4.75s is an excitement that is slightly lacking in the next bracket down. 4.5 is where this Ledaig 18 sits and it finds itself in excellent company. A very big thank you again to @cascode, and a happy new year to anyone who reads my excessively lengthy reviews here. Slainte! Distiller whisky taste #250 [Pictured here with a replica of “Mrs. Ples”. Mrs Ples is a 2.5 million year old fossil of Australopithecus africanus discovered in 1947 in Sterkfontein, South Africa. The discovery of this near complete specimen helped lend credence to the notion that South African Australopithecines were indeed hominids. Originally thought to be a female, it is no known that Mrs Ples is in fact; Mr Ples] Tobermory running scores Tobermory 12: 4/5 Ledaig 10: 3.75/5 Ledaig 18: 4.5/5

“Bunnahabhain & Friends” tasting at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 15 June 2022. Whisky #7 Nose: Soft coal smoke, evocative oak, oloroso sherry, dark cherries, dusky orchard fruits, a dab of creosote and leathery notes in the background. Exquisite integration. Palate: Earthy malt arrival, ginger, cinnamon and white pepper with coal and wood smoke. There is a sweet, dark malty core to the palate together with mild sweet/spice chutney flavours and these are balanced by the soft but enveloping smoke. It has a sublime oily texture. Finish: Medium/long and very slow. Sweet lemon, hot spices, oak tannin and licorice. A wonderful whisky that captures my senses with its "clean-but-grimy" personality every time I taste it. I’m not sure what it is about this particular expression, but it has everything I enjoy about mildly peated west-coast highland malts, and it has a more than passing similarity to Longrow. I first tasted this not long ago (March 3rd 2022) from a sample. At the time I rated it at 4.25 and immediately ordered a bottle. Since then I’ve had two more tastings, one at a friend’s house and the third last night at the “Bunnahabhain & Friends” event. There is not much to add to my original review, so I’ve just put some summary tasting notes here. What tells you much more is that after the tasting I sprinted to the sales counter and bought 2 further bottles of this very good whisky for the stash. Given the reasonable asking price I may buy some more, if I can find the same batch. I love this stuff. “Excellent” : 88/100 (4.5 stars) --------------------------------------------------- [Reviewed from March 3, 2022] Nose: Soft coal smoke and cask aromas – like the smell of an oak dresser that has been in a room with an open fireplace for many years. Sweet winey aromas from the sherry cask, dark cherries, dusky orchard fruits, a dab of creosote and some leathery notes in the background. The nose is beautifully integrated with a succulent and enticing quality. Palate: An earthy, grimy arrival that is quite delightful. Ginger, cinnamon and white pepper with whorls of the same oaken smoke from the nose curling around the tongue. There is a sweet, almost confectionery hint but the development mainly constitutes a continuation of the arrival as the pervading smoky character gradually takes over the palate. Lovely texture, a touch of oily asphalt but only trace rubbery notes. Finish: Medium/long and very gradual. That development on the palate progresses slowly into a celtic twilight with citrus, hot spices, oak tannin and liquorice as the last hurrah. A very nice whisky indeed. It has elements in common with Bunnahabhain 18 and there is more than a passing similarity to Longrow. It's certainly a lot more like a west coast/Campbeltown malt than an Islay. This is a big meaty dram that can be mulled over (hah, see what I did there 😋) for a good long time and will repay relaxed contemplation. It responds well to water which softens the profile and develops sweetness, but I thought it was pretty much perfect neat. Tasted from a 20 ml sample, and I just ordered a full-size bottle for the stash. “Very Good” : 87/100 (4.25 stars)

SHERRY before peat, and it's a spicy rather than fruity or sweet kind of sherry. Soft light marzipan/ almonds. Dry walnut shells, dusty malt, dusty bourbon note. Leather. chamomile, dry peppermint / mint, cooling eucalyptus. Oak nuts, oak forest. Pine resin. Orange peels, dates, peach, apricot, lemon peels. Lemon grass. Soft minerality. Chestnuts. Ginger, nutmeg. Floral: daisies, cherry blossoms, lilies, rose petals. East Asian type cooking spices. SAFFRON. cloud berries, rhubarb and gooseberries. Fresh cut grass note. Hay. Nectarines, dried. Anise. Carrots, fresh out of the ground. HORSE RADISH. Cocoa powder. Touch of banana peels. Smoked herring. Black pepper. Pepper steak, also bell peppers. Ferns, green shrubs, the pungent scents of early summer burgeoning verdure. Garlic bread sticks. Red and dry black licorice. Balsamic vinegar spices. Cola cubes. Mixed barbecue spices. Hint of cardamon. White pepper. Curry rice. With air and a drop of water, vanilla, white grapes. - slight rancio. Aromatic sort of leather shoe store note, that soft elegant leather note you find in an Ardbeg 10, strong at first but it quickly tones itself down: New car smell. Peat and sherry equalize and balance each other out after some time. Smoked meat peatiness as the bottle gets air. Smoked bacon. Not fishy or particularly tarry; only mildly coastal. ( EDit: Gets more sea-spray-y and seafood-y after a few months: fish sashimi, shrimp on the barbie. Fudge-y chocolate also more prominent. ) - A noticeable but not overwhelming presence of sulfur, which some people have issues with. And it must be said, there's quite an in-your-face wet cardboard note. A drop of water and especially aeration mitigates this: with enough air a distinct tiger balm note half takes over, then also barbecue spice, salt & pepper potato chips. It will, with a bit of patience, turn into a properly gratifying experience. Take it slow.

The nose starts with applewood smoked bacon, stewed plums and dusty leather-bound books then powder sugar dusted dark chocolate torte, toasted hazelnuts, lightly charred hay bales and sea side rocky minerality followed by musty grapes, sautéed apples and charred orange peel that transitions to cloves, candied ginger and polished oak with low ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with sweet and creamy orange before applewood smoked bacon, stewed plums and leather-bound books then a mild spice that quickly fades to cocoa powder dusted prunes, toasted hazelnuts, burning hay bales and sea side rocky minerality followed by musty grapes, sautéed apples and candied lemon peel that transitions to cloves, candied ginger and freshly lit pipe tobacco with medium ethanol burn. The finish is long with dark chocolate covered raisins, creamy orchard fruit, lightly charred hay bales, seaside rocky minerality, dusty leather-bound books and freshly lit pipe tobacco. This is a refined Ledaig that the extra years of aging has brought in some dusty leather that wraps around flavors of smoked meats, caramelized fruits, light farmyard funk, seaside minerality and tobacco into a really well-balanced and polished dram that the 46.3% ABV delivers richer flavors than I expected that falls just outside of the bold territory with a long and lingering finish of tobacco smoke, sweet citrus and old leather. I unfortunately missed my opportunity to buy one of these at under $100 but these still seem available for under $130 and I think these are a tremendous value for a smoky and well-aged 18-year-old whisky.

Body appears neither thin nor heavy in the glass. A twirl reveals a solid coating that ever so delicately trails down the glass. No big, viscous ribbons, but rather a smooth sheet moving very slowly almost as one. When left alone, 1/8" pearls form a beautiful lace after only a few minutes. I'm led to believe this is rather well crafted, and can't wait to tuck in. Nose is dried black olives, smoked sea salt and overcooked bacon. A few more minutes' rest and another nose, and now there's old leather and tobacco, like a favorite jacket that spends too much time in the humidor. Go back again and there's cherry wood dust and chalk and I'm transported back to middle-school shop class. I like this. A lot. The five minutes of rest and ten minutes of nosing were well spent, and the palate is a wonderful reward. Oysters, perfectly seared scallops, and pancetta dance across a smoky, salty backdrop. This is a barbeque on a beach on a warm sunny day with a light breeze bringing the salt in from the sea. Fantastic. Mid palate throws a dash of unsweet cherries, (maybe a chutney?) that complements the savory flavors, and opens the door for the smoke to finally come center stage and close the show. I know this is peated, but I would not say it's heavily peated by any means. The smoke is integral to the entire experience but never overwhelms, and provides a solid backdrop to showcase the array of flavors and smells. I am really quite happy that we stopped at the food and drink expo while wandering around Oban. A very nice memory, and a very nice Scotch.

This gets a lot of hype so lets put it to the test. Sample review. Nose - Rich smoke giving me a mix of smoked wood and some burned plastic. It actually lightly reminds me of being a kid and my room started to smell of smoke. My dad was out of town and my mom called the fire department worried about some electrical fire. The 6'7 fire fighter quickly found the problem, a lego that somehow was on top of my lamp that had melted. As I dig deeper the sweetness really comes out. Inspiring more of a laphroig happy place. A bit medicinal, a bit of doctors office and a heck of a lot of yummy smoked meats and good light fruits with caramel mint notes. Taste - A bit front loaded. It mixes oak, mint, and spice with the flavors really coming in strong on the front of the pallet and feeling short after. That said there's a nice finish here. I've mostly had this brand's CS LE's or IB bottling. This might be my first core bottle and it's far more Islay than what I'vd had before. i'm impressed with the flavor punch. I really like the wood smoke notes. I don't like the notes of plastic. The finish has room to improve. Good bit of peppered spice on the finish too, I think that's killing the finish for me. I feel this should be better but I'm not getting there. 2.25. It just should be better, there's something not coming together here. I'm leaving this open for me to come back and adjust. This is just a brand that seems like it should be good but always leaves me wanting.