Ledaig 10 Year

 

Ledaig is the heavily peated imprint from Tobermory, the distillery on the Isle of Mull.  I've actually never had Tobermory itself, but have always heard good things about Ledaig - namely "it's a very unusual kind of peated whisky." Well, aged for 10 years in bourbon barrels, non-chill-filtered, and presented at 46.3% ABV, let's see how unusual it is... 

Nose: Well, it's certainly heavily peated. Fairly dry, earthy, a bit coastal. And the nose is surprisingly floral after a third of the bottle is gone - much like Bowmore in that way. Along with the sweeter perfume notes are interesting baking spices as well - cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves. And peat. Lots of phenolic peat (overtones of glue, rubber). 

Mouthfeel: Thick, viscous. 

Palate: Smoke, peat, malt, and the spices from the nose. Doesn't develop too much, but the flavors here are nice and clean. 

Finish: Long and smoky, with a bit of wood influence, but not too strong. The smoke lays down on your tongue for a long time. 

Verdict: I liked this, but ultimately I think I'd put this in the middle of the pack of peated whiskies. I like Ardbeg more; Johnnie Walker Green less. And so on. But it's definitely worth a try - it is somewhat unique, and occupies its own place in the peated pantheon. I will be curious to try either an independent version of this, or an older one.