Ledaig 1998 Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish

This Ledaig was on my Wishlist since I purchased and tasted the Limited Release of the 18 year old Spanish Sherry Wood Finish last year. As I already said back then, I try to steer clear for whisky's in the 100+ euro's range as there so much to explore in the lower price ranges, but in the end I was just too curious for this one and it had put it on the top spot of my list nevertheless. My wife noticed I kept it on the wishlist but also that I always seemed hesitated to purchase it so she figured she'd better buy it herself: it would be an excellent surprise gift for my 46th birthday - And oh boy, was she right! I was surprised allright, and so keen to finally being able to sample it! Maybe I should put a spoiler-alert here, but despite high expectations, I found this Ledaig 19 Oloroso Cask Finish to be a fabulous dram. On the nose it seemed a bit thin and faint at first, but after a few minutes of breathing, some clear hints of leather and dark fruits started to appear. Then I was met by a lovely, complex dram with lots of peat smoke, clear hints of orange zest, salty caramel, and definitely some bittersweet dark chocolate. Perhaps there's even some cookie dough? All perfectly balanced. As with the Spanish Sherry finished 18 year old, the Oloroso Sherry finish is clear and obvious, but not overly so. After swallowing, the taste lingers on for a long while. For me, this is absolutely a great dram! It's a coincidence, but as it happens, this whisky was distilled around the very same period that I met my lovely wife: the late summer of 1998. It marked the start of a completely new and exciting part of our life. We married just a year later, our first kid was born the next. We moved houses, had our second kid. We definitely made a lot of happy memories since then. It may sound silly, but the fact this excellent dram was distilled and put to mature the very same year I met my wife, sort of gives this dram an extra dimension. It doesn't tast better by it, but makes it a bottle that I'll cherish for a long time, and I'll take my time savouring it!