Ledaig 19 Oloroso Finish (1998)

Really very good. Mild smoke and peat, and the sherry influence is there but not overwhelming. If I could find this somewhere I’d definitely buy it. McCormacks Whisky Grill

We purchased the “wee” bottle at the Tobermory distillery on Mull after our tutored tasting. Really good. Not overwhelming with the peet and hints of sweetness. A winner

Now this is more like it. The balance lacking in the 18 is very much present in this 19 year-old available to hand fill at the Tobermory distillery. Its website doesn’t say how long it spends in second-fill Oloroso casks or what it was in before that, but I’m assuming it was ex-bourbon and for the vast majority of its maturation. It’s a lovely blend of creaminess, dry sweetness and a delicate peat, all interlaced and presented beneath a typical sherry cask nose. Quite how an extra year of maturation mutes the peat compared to its punch on the 18 is hard to fathom, but perhaps there’s much older whisky in this batch. Is there any salt to the taste, as many find in Ledaig? Perhaps a pinch at the end. The finish is a long mix of light sweetness and soft peat, with a nice sour note riffing off the smoke at the end. If I could change one thing it would be to dial everything other than the peat up a notch to concentrate the flavors and thicken the mouthfeel - a slightly higher ABV version of this could be perfect.