Ledaig 18 Year

Nose: very gentle peat but above all very saline, sweet wood smoke, light sherry. Optimal Palate: oh my, how wonderful! Full-bodied and enveloping. Very salty but with sweet notes of honey and sherry, smoke and bitter peels of candied citrus. Final: medium-long, pungent and smoky. Unfortunately it ends up leaving an uninspiring bitterness which takes away the full score. Anyway, super whisky, nothing to add. 4.50 rating ________________________________________________________ Naso: torba gentilissima ma soprattutto molto salino, affumicatura di legno dolce, leggero sherry. Ottimo Palato: mamma mia che meraviglia! Pieno corposo ed avvolgente. Molto salato ma con note dolci di miele e sherry, fumo e bucce amare di agrumi canditi. Finale: medio lungo, pungente ed affumicato. Purtroppo finisce lasciando un amarognolo non entusiasmante che gli toglie il punteggio pieno. Comunque, super whisky, niente da aggiungere. Voto 4,50

The nose starts with applewood smoked bacon, stewed plums and dusty leather-bound books then powder sugar dusted dark chocolate torte, toasted hazelnuts, lightly charred hay bales and sea side rocky minerality followed by musty grapes, sautéed apples and charred orange peel that transitions to cloves, candied ginger and polished oak with low ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with sweet and creamy orange before applewood smoked bacon, stewed plums and leather-bound books then a mild spice that quickly fades to cocoa powder dusted prunes, toasted hazelnuts, burning hay bales and sea side rocky minerality followed by musty grapes, sautéed apples and candied lemon peel that transitions to cloves, candied ginger and freshly lit pipe tobacco with medium ethanol burn. The finish is long with dark chocolate covered raisins, creamy orchard fruit, lightly charred hay bales, seaside rocky minerality, dusty leather-bound books and freshly lit pipe tobacco. This is a refined Ledaig that the extra years of aging has brought in some dusty leather that wraps around flavors of smoked meats, caramelized fruits, light farmyard funk, seaside minerality and tobacco into a really well-balanced and polished dram that the 46.3% ABV delivers richer flavors than I expected that falls just outside of the bold territory with a long and lingering finish of tobacco smoke, sweet citrus and old leather. I unfortunately missed my opportunity to buy one of these at under $100 but these still seem available for under $130 and I think these are a tremendous value for a smoky and well-aged 18-year-old whisky.