Ledaig 10 Year

Nose of funky rum (think Smith & Cross). Taste of minerally peat with vegetal notes. A peaty Tobermory, which is different than any other peated whisky I have tried. Pepper notes intertwine with grassy peat through the finish. Delicious!

Wonderful medicinal smell so characteristic of well-peated whiskeys. Very nice light smoke. Light on the tongue. Just a great enjoyable Scott

Stop number 9 on the SDT is Ledaig from the Tobermory distillery on the Isle of Mull. Ledaig (pronounced le-chaig) is the peated version of the Tobermory line. This Island scotch comes in at 46.3% ABV, it is non chill filtered and natural color of golden straw. I reviewed the 18 year old a few months ago and gave it a good review and 4.25 stars. The 18 YO was sherry cask matured, this 10 YO is bourbon matured. Wow! Initial nosing brought a big blast of tropical fruits. Mango, pineapple and maybe papaya. I was not expecting that. Quickly following was the peat influence. Mineral peat, seashore/seashells, damp and earthy. It turns sweet with honey, salted caramel and toffee. Back to fruits after a few minutes with nectarines, light oranges and lemon drop candies. It switches back to the peat with a tar/creosote and bonfire ashes. It flip flopped between the peat and fruit for a while before a nuttiness appeared with sweet vanilla, then finished off with light licorice and ginger. Incredibly complex for a 10 year old. Love it! After the nose, the palate is a bit of a let down. Not in flavor, but in complexity. Bonfire ashes and peat smoke, light pepper. A bit salty with sweet vanilla. Wonderful taste, just a bit one dimensional. Light bodied mouthfeel that is mouthwatering. A nice long smoky finish to end the experience. I have to say I'm blown away by this 10 year old. It's not a peat bomb like a Laphroaig or an Ardbeg, but it is peatier than Bowmore, and it has more complexity than most of them and at a comparable price ($60 locally). I plan to grab a bottle if I see it on a shelf and I highly recommend it to all you peat heads out there. I am giving this the same score as it's big brother the 18 year old, but I think I like this one better based on what I remember of the 18. 4.25. Thanks to Scott for the sample. Cheers all