Islands or Highlands? Many people refer to most of
the Scottish islands as the Islands region. However, if you’re into following
regulations, there is no recognized Islands region (per the Scotch Whiskey Association). All of
those them, sans Islay, fall under
the Highlands region.
Travel with me, if you
will, to the Isle of Mull. It is
located near the Isle of Jura and
Islay. There sits a single (legal) distillery called Tobermory Distillery. Established in 1798 as the Ledaig Distillery, it has changed hands
many times, been shuttered and reopened, with one long stint lasting 41 years
during The Great Depression and Prohibition. It is currently under the Distell Group umbrella, which owns Bunnahabhain and Deanston, among others. Tobermory has two whisky brands: its namesake, which is all unpeated, and Ledaig, which is all peated. The
distillery runs six months at a time making each brand’s distillate.
I’m sipping on Ledaig 10, which is a single malt aged
for (obviously) ten years. Tobermory used Port
Ellen peated concerto malted barley that weighed in at about 37ppm of
phenol. The whisky was aged in former Bourbon casks. Non-chill-filtered and
naturally colored, it is bottled at 46.3% ABV (92.6°), you can expect to pay
about $59.99 for a 750ml package.
Let’s #DrinkCurious and discover what this smoky single malt is all
about.
Appearance: Poured neat in my Glencairn glass, Ledaig 10
was shiny and bright but closer to the color of straw. It created a
medium-thick rim that led to slow, thick legs.
Nose: Oh… I could smell the peat the second the
bottle was opened. As it sat there resting, it was smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke,
and more smoke. When I finally pulled the glass to my nose, I was able to pick
out lemon zest, honey, vanilla, and seaweed. I breathed the vapor into my
mouth, expecting it to be smoky, and instead, it was intense butterscotch.
Palate: The mouthfeel was oily and full-bodied. I
expected a dominating smoke on the front but instead found sweet apricot, tangy
pear, lemon zest, and lime zest. The middle featured honeysuckle, vanilla,
apple, and strawberry. Where was the smoke? Well, it punched through a banner
and was joined by char, seaweed, and white pepper.
Finish: Medium-to-long, the finish continued with notes
from the back, namely, thick smoke, seaweed, white pepper, and added chalk
and brine.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Ledaig 10 could easily be mistaken as a forceful
Islay. Was this only 37ppm of peat? I take Tobermory at its word. If you’re
like me and you enjoy peated – really peated whiskies, then this one will leave
you with a huge smile. The price isn’t prohibitive, and all of this adds up to
an easy Bottle rating. Cheers!
My Simple, Easy to
Understand Rating System
- Bottle = Buy It
- Bar = Try It
- Bust = Leave It
Whiskeyfellow encourages
you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you do so responsibly.
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