Ledaig 18 Year

This is an outstanding Scotch. Very full bodied with a long, complex finish. Not sure why others don’t rate higher. I’ve done tastings with friends comparing to HP18 and Talisker18 and they rate it just as high as I do.

I remember with the 10 it was a mild dislike then a love (a few days later) then after a few months back to apathy as the flavours quickly faded away. Given that i decided to judge this on day 2 it really hasn't improved unfortunately. I love a good peated whisky and i could drown myself in the richness of say a Lore. The peat here has more an acidic/bitter sharpness along with heavish salt profile that makes it really difficult to elicit the remaining flavours. Occasionally i get a glimpse of sherry and other aspects such as clove as they suggest. I know how this tale will most likely end, time will not mellow the overpowering aspects of this dram enough for me to enjoy a balance of flavor, and at $140USD a bottle it's a 3. I paired it with the An Oa as they have a certain characteristic they share. Not the same flavor profile but perhaps the sharpness on the tongue. It will be sacrificed to the whisky group session I'm having on Friday although they for the most part weren't willing drinkers of the faded remnants of my 10 year so not sure how it will be received.

Rubber, smoke, leather, and some dried apricot on the nose. Medium body, with pungent taste of rancid grain and boiled veggies on the palate. Licorice aftertaste on warm and relatively long finish. Complex, but too medicinal for my liking.

Peated and medicinal, llmost like opening a box of Band-Aids - that smell of rubber is very pronounced on the nose. I don't dislike it, but I can't say I'm a fan either... unless I'm having a medical emergency. There's honey and clearly phenolic compounds that interact like two children do: one minute they're playing well together and the next minute they're at each other's throat. I'm not sure how I feel about it. However, the finish is where this whisky really shines, with licorice and sherry carrying a fairly long finish.