Ledaig 10yo 2009/2020 Bordeaux Cask

Ledaig 10yo 2009/2020 Bordeaux Cask

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islands
Amber red
56.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, brown paper, rubber bands, foam shrimp, strawberry laces, black pepper, hints of bananas. With water, tyre rubber, strawberry laces, soy sauce, moss. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, expands, airy, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, peat, autumn leaves, smoke, honey, red grapes, fresh cut grass, hints of rubber bands. With water, orange peel, black tea, brown paper, peat. 
Finish: Long. Orange peel, moss, peat, red grapes, smoke. 

Comments: 

Sweet, floral, yet laden with savoury notes. There’s some earthiness with the smoke that clashes slightly with the sweet wine notes. Yet still a pleasant dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Ledaig 19yo Oloroso Finish Handfilled Distillery Exclusive

Ledaig 19yo Oloroso Finish Handfilled Distillery Exclusive

Official bottling

Single malt - Islands
Golden
45.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Toffee, butterscotch, raisins, maraschino cherries, autumn leaves, hints of honey. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, airy. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Autumn leaves,  charcoal ash, maraschino cherries, honey, sea salt, germolene, hints of golden syrup. 
Finish: Medium. Lemon zest, sea salt, peat, autumn leaves, honey. 

Comments: 

Sweeter, lots of cherry and cough syrup notes from the oloroso finish. Unfortunately these clash a little bit with the peat and smoke. That’s the risk with sherrying peated stuff, it often doesn’t quite go together.

Verdict:

I like this.

Ledaig 8yo 2012/2020 Handfilled Warehouse 1

Ledaig 8yo 2012/2020 Handfilled Warehouse 1

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islands
White wine
62.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, peat, lemongrass, lemon zest, vanilla, sultanas, hints of white pepper. With water, sultanas, white wine, kiwifruit. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, astringent, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Salty bitter. Sea salt, autumn leaves, peat, charcoal ash, lemon zest, vanilla, sultanas, hints of kiwifruit. With water, autumn leaves, sultanas, white wine. 
Finish: Medium. Honey, leather, autumn leaves, peat, kiwifruit. 

Comments: 

Quite a gentle and floral Ledaig. The high ABV doesn’t make it harsh, in fact, it’s scarily drinkable. Lots of citrus complement the smoky salty peat.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Tobermory 24yo 1994/2020 Manzanilla Cask Distillery Handfill

Tobermory 24yo 1994/2020 Manzanilla Cask Distillery Handfill

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islands
Amber gold
52.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cotton sheets, olive brine, cream, cinnamon, orange peel, raisins, hints of roast chicken. With water, raisins, gooseberries, fresh cut grass, white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, tingly, warm. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Olive brine, cream, rubber bands, orange peel, malted grains, white pepper. With water, rubber bands, cotton sheets, orange peel, white pepper. 
Finish: Medium. Orange peel, rubber bands, white pepper, cotton sheets. 

Comments: 

Very feinty, lots of savoury, slightly salty notes. Unusual for a sherried dram, but perhaps it carries more of the sherry characteristics than other whiskies. It’s also a little sulphurous, and that is less pleasant. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Tobermory 15yo 2004/2020 PX Butt Distillery Handfill

Tobermory 15yo 2004/2020 PX Butt Distillery Handfill

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islands
Amber brown
56.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Yuzu, cream, raisins, dark chocolate, coffee, damson jam, cinnamon, dried apricots. With water, damson jam, dried apricots, coffee. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, hot, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, coffee, dark chocolate, black tea, dried apricots, vanilla, malt loaf, hints of cloves. With water, damson jam, dried apricots, vanilla. 
Finish: Long. Malt loaf, cloves, dried apricots, dark chocolate, hints of yuzu. 

Comments: 

Fruity and quite sweet. The yuzu interlacing throughout all the other notes is quite unique in my experience. It’s what makes this whisky stand out, from a pack of generally very good sherried drams. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Ledaig 12yo 2008/2020

Ledaig 12yo 2008/2020

Connoisseur’s Choice, Gordon & Macphail 
Single malt - Islands
Amber red 
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, honey, raspberries, vanilla custard, leather, liquorice, hints of smoked bacon. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, tingly, hot. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raspberries, leather, smoke, white chocolate, liquorice, cream, hints of tobacco leaf. 
Finish: Medium. Smoke, leather, liquorice, honey, hints of smoked bacon. 

Comments: 

Young, intense and smoky. Sherry casked, so quite sweet and fruity, but the smoke envelopes everything. Plenty of smoke bacon notes, but only on the end palate and the end nose. You’ll have to work hard to find it.

Verdict:

I like this.

Ledaig 18yo 2001/2019

Ledaig 18yo 2001/2019

Benchmark - Limited Release, Murray McDavid 
Single malt - Islands
Orange gold
58.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, yoghurt, milk powder, red grapes, marmalade, hazelnuts, peat, tobacco leaf, hints of smoke. With water, pears, lemon zest, raisins, iodine. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, expands, hot. 
Tasting:  Sour bitter. Yoghurt, milk chocolate, hazelnuts, tobacco leaf, smoke, peanut butter, red grapes, iodine, hints of black pepper. With water, smoke, peanut butter, pears, iodine. 
Finish: Long. Peat, smoke, brass polish, iodine. 

Comments: 

Cask 800065. Quite unbalanced, but not bold. Some lactic notes offset by peanut butter and a little fruit. With water the smoke comes forward. Can’t say this was brilliant, had to work hard to get past the slightly chemical notes.

Verdict:

I like this.

Ledaig 1973

Ledaig 1973

Connoisseur’s Choice, Gordon & Macphail 
Single malt - Islands
Amber gold

40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, toffee, candied oranges, black tea, salt caramel, leather, ginger, cinnamon. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, expands, cool, turns watery around the edges. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Toffee, sea salt, leather, roast chicken, candied oranges, soy sauce, peat, hints of smoke.
Finish: Long. Soy sauce, roast chicken, candied oranges, cloves, cinnamon. 

Comments: 

I never knew that whiskies were peated to enhance mouthfeel. This NAS whisky is a good example, it’s luxurious and meaty, but not so classically peaty. There’s an intensity and richness about it that is really alluring.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

SMWS 42.56 (Tobermory 26yo 1994/2021)

SMWS 42.56 (Tobermory 26yo 1994/2021)

2021, SMWS
Single malt - Islands 
Golden 
51.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Olive oil, linseed oil, cherries, fresh baked bread, malted milk, mint, honey, hints of roast pork. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, hot, airy, loosens. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Blackcurrant cordial, cherries, honey, sea salt, roast pork, olive oil. 
Finish: Medium. Mint, malted milk, cherries, hints of olive oil. 

Comments: 

Slightly atypical Tobermory, lacks a saline edge. Instead there’s a peppery note, like a good olive oil. There’s a good meaty richness, like cough syrup on top of roast pork. Highly enjoyable.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Tobermory Isle of Mull (old dumpy)

Tobermory Isle of Mull (old dumpy)

Official bottling
Single malt - Islands 
Dark gold, hints of copper
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, orange juice, toffee apples, fresh baked bread, toast, hints of papayas. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, loosens, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Orange juice, toffee apples, leather, mint, butterscotch, hints of cocoa powder. 
Finish: Medium. Cocoa powder, butterscotch, toast, orange juice. 

Comments: 

This was bottled around the year 2000, and there’s quite a bit of old bottle effect. It’s mild, milder than today’s Tobermory, and certainly milder than today’s Ledaig. Lots of fruit underneath that peat, and quite a bit of cocoa. Nice. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Ledaig 12yo 2007/2020

Ledaig 12yo 2007/2020

Hidden Spirits Whisky Company
Single malt - Islands
Pale gold
52.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, burning plastic, lemon zest, white grapes, hints of cedar. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, turns watery, slippery, loose. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Smoke, peat, lemon zest, white grapes, marzipan, hints of yoghurt.

Finish: Medium. Lemon zest, peat, smoke, cedar, egg whites. 

Comments: 

Cask LG0720. Here’s a non meaty Ledaig, less bacon than some smoked butter and cream. Lots of wood as well for some reason, so it still smells somewhat like a barbecue. There’s something sulphurous in the finish too. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Ledaig 7yo 2011/2019

Ledaig 7yo 2011/2019

Signatory, Unchillfiltered 
Single malt - Islands
Golden
60.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bacon, apple juice, lemon zest, Germolene, burning plastic, hints of white grapes. With water, carrot cake, sultanas, smoky.  
Mouthfeel: Light body, tingly, astringent, loosens.  
Tasting:  Sour bitter. Apple juice, lemon juice, white grapes, smoke, bacon, ginseng. With water, tart, smoke, lemon juice, green apples.
Finish: Medium. Ginseng, leather, peat, smoke, lemon juice.

Comments: 

Cask 15. Quite medicinal and meaty, a little like frying bacon, although there’s something chemical underneath, although not in an unpleasant way. It’s quite classic Ledaig, smoky, peaty and quite appetising. I quite often feel hungry after drinking Tobermory and Ledaig. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Ledaig 12yo 2007/2019

Ledaig 12yo 2007/2019

Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Islands
Amber
48.4% ABV
Tiny taste

Nose: Peat, leather, dried apricots, raisins, red grapes, hints of sandalwood. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, airy, warm, slightly slippery. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Leather, dried apricots, orange peel, smoky bacon, driftwood, hints of raisins. 
Finish: Long. Dried apricots, smoky bacon, brown paper, leather, hints of black tea. 

Comments: 

Cask DL13707. Delicious, lots of dried fruit and smoke, but undeniably under proof. I think Ledaig is best when it's cask strength, north of 50%, and this expression is a little below that. Still, it's good, it's just not as great as I've come to expect from Tobermory's peated juice.

Verdict:

I like this.

Ledaig 13yo

Ledaig 13yo 

Official bottling
Single malt - Islands
Amber
58.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Roast pork, raisins, marmalade, honey, cocoa powder, sea salt. With water, lemon juice, honey, sea salt. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, astringent, hot, tingly. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Seaweed, honey, chocolate, roast pork, driftwood smoke, leather, hints of damson jam. With water, lemon juice, rhubarb and custard sweets, sea salt, seaweed. 
Finish: Long. Ginseng, peat, driftwood smoke, hints of damson jam. 

Comments: 

One of the new official Ledaigs, with a port pipe finish. I found it intensely salty, chocolatey and meaty, robust and mouth-filling. With water, it softened, still salty and redolent of seaweed, but the meatiness dissolved into citrus and rhubarb and custard. Very good indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Ledaig 21yo

Ledaig 21yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Islands
Amber red
52.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, strawberries, peat, oolong tea, lemon zest, smoke, hints of marmalade. With water, preserved lemons, sea salt, peat, hints of raisins. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, slippery, cool, loosens slightly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Peat, leather, oolong tea, marmalade, lemon zest, smoked bacon, hints of dried peaches. With water, salty, preserved lemons, raisins, red grapes. 
Finish: Medium. Lemon zest, smoke, marmalade, dried peaches. 

Comments: 

There's a lot in here to unpack. Firstly, there's the obligatory peat and smoke. Underneath that, there's heaps of jammy notes, oolong tea (floral yet tannic), and something meaty which combines oh-so-well with that smoke. Definitely a last one of the night sort of whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Tobermory 19yo

Tobermory 19yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Islands
Orange brown
55.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, prunes, plums, mushrooms, autumn leaves, hints of sandalwood. With water, honey, butter biscuits, petrichor. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, warm, tingly, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Mushrooms, honey, malted grains, iron filings, plums, hints of pear drops. With water, black tea, pear drops, butter biscuits. 
Finish: Long. Honey, pear drops, mushrooms, hints of maraschino cherries. 

Comments: 

Tobermory always seems to have a bit of a funk - earthy, mushroomy, a very autumnal dram. This one is intense and savoury, with honey and butter biscuits alongside the mushrooms. I really liked this - very satisfying and robust whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Tobermory 24yo

Tobermory 24yo

Chorlton Whisky
Single malt - Islands
Dark amber
55.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, lemon zest, peat, raisins, honey, fresh cut grass, hints of key lime. With water, sea salt, caramel, ink, hints of smoke
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, slightly oily, turns watery. 
Tasting:  Sour. Lemon zest, raisins, fresh cut grass, coconut, green tea, hints of butterscotch. With water, salty, caramel, ink, hints of iron filings. 
Finish: Medium. Butterscotch, green tea, lemon zest, leather, fresh cut grass. 

Comments: 

A massive, bold, brash Islands whisky from indie bottler Chorlton Whisky. Not one I'm familiar with, but this is a great start, and I intend to seek out more expressions. This one is peaty, sweet, and herbal to start with, plenty of citrus too. Water (and time) changes it, it turns salty, sweet, and even slightly metallic.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Ledaig 18 yo 1997/2016

Ledaig 18 yo 1997/2016

Celebration of the Cask, Carn Mor
Single malt - Islands
Light gold
55.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, raisins, chocolate, maraschino cherries, ink, panko breadcrumbs. With water, oranges, caramel, cherry jam. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, oily, sticky, syrupy . 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Peat, cherry brandy, ink, chocolate, iron filings. With water, cherry jam, candied oranges. 
Finish: Medium. Chocolate, cherry brandy, ink, hints of coffee. 

Comments: 

Cherry bomb! This tastes like ginja, the Portuguese cherry brandy. There are only a few whiskies that taste like that. I'm lucky to have found this one. It's metallic and inky on the tongue, with floral notes of maraschino. Delicious, turns jammy with water.

Cask #643023.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 42.16 (Ledaig 9 yo 2005/2015)

SMWS 42.16 (Ledaig 9 yo 2005/2015)

2015, SMWS
Single malt - Islands
Pale silver
59.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Blue cheese, peat, leather, balsamic vinegar, lemons, wet leaves, hints of potato. With water, cream, golden syrup, hints of orange juice. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, expands, turns watery, loose. 
Tasting:  Salty sour. Blue cheese, lemons, boiled potatoes, new plastic, hints of smoked haddock. With water, sweeter, cream, peat, hints of oranges. 
Finish: Long. Leather, peat, lemons, cream, hints of golden syrup. 

Comments: 

Wow, this is pretty unique. Blue cheese and leather, leavened with lemons, boiled potato and hints of smoked fish, when neat. With water, it smooths out a little, with the sour notes softening from vinegar to orange juice, and the peat hits. I'm in two minds about this whisky, but it's certainly an experience.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Tobermory 15 yo

Tobermory 15 yo

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islands
Copper
46.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, red grapes, orange peel, peanuts, musk, apricots, mint.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, static, turns watery, mouth coating.
Tasting: Sweet. Red grapes, peanuts, white grapes, orange peel, musk, lemon sweets, hints of mint.
Finish: Long. Peanuts, apricots, lemon sweets, white grapes.

Comments:

This was the last whisky of a reasonably long night, but I reckon my taste buds were still in fine fettle. However, the whisky was slightly off. It was musky and tart, and that's odd for something matured in Oloroso. I could tell it was sherry finished, but it seemed somewhat oxidised. Can't say I enjoyed it too much.

Verdict:

Not bad.