Ledaig 10 Year

I firmly believe that the best Island distilleries can go to toe-to-toe with Islay's finest. Talisker, Highland Park, and now this Ledaig from Tobermory. Nose: Salt and brine jump out of the glass. Beyond that it's medicinal peat smoke and iodine. A bit of sulfur. Seaweed and a big lemon citrus note. Fresh-cut grass. Honey sweetness. And that delicious bacon note featured in the tasting notes here on distiller. Cinnamon spice at the tail end. This one is pungent enough to fill the room with a mere uncorking of the bottle. And I'm glad it does because this nose is nothing short of superb. Palate: Oily, smoky, salty, briny. Salt, salt, salt. It's like taking a bite out of a soft pretzel. More zesty lemon. Honey, vanilla, butterscotch sweetness. Caramel and and fudge. Some darker fruits like plum. Maybe a bit of tobacco. Strong black pepper and maybe a bit of vinegar. Edit: After reading a review by @Richard-ModernDrinking I have to add hookah smoke to my notes. Now that I've read it, there's absolutely no mistaking it. Finish: Moderate-to-long. Some cinnamon and black pepper, the rest is all sea salt. It'll leave you feeling like you just spent a day in the ocean. If you don't like salt, don't even bother with this one. Fortunately I do, and this one is an absolute winner for me. It's certainly worthy of being in the discussion of best flagship Islay/Island expressions. Is it No. 1? Maybe not, but it's not too far off. At $60 I'd buy again. It may be a tad high but I'm not complaining. A background dram by no means, this one is enough to command the attention of an experienced peat-head. This one checks all the boxes for me. After this, I'm looking forward to trying another malt from the Isle of Mull.

Very peaty and yummy. Can’t get much other than peat, but that’s probably due to my lack of being accustomed to peat. Great change up though. Tastes like smoked bacon

Smokey!