DrRHCMadden
Ledaig 10 Year
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed
October 23, 2022 (edited January 16, 2023)
I had a sample of this in a liquor store some months ago now, but remember nothing of it. I picked up a bottle for a low $90 a few weeks back which is a little lower than the usual RRP. Having seen it made it to Ralfys Whisky of the Year for 22 i figured its unlikely to be bad and worth a shot.
N: I find the nose to be light and delicate. A gentle peaty-iodine is soft and ever so slightly sweet. A background of malty barley, a little nutty oil (like the bottom of a walnut jar) and something a little dried fruit like, perhaps sultana. I think there is some toffee and spice in here as well that comes out after a first sip. With a splash of water the fruit is more pronounced and it is brilliant.
P: Big, bold, and full upfront. Dry smoke and peppery spice are immediate, and delicious. There is a refreshing and borderline mouthwatering mulch-earthiness that comes though on the back end of the smoke hit. Charred oak and some savoury BBQ are further added to what I feel is becoming a juicy palate. Somehow there is a balanced sweetness, maybe a crunchy apple I’m not sure. From the touch of water there is more of a burnt sugar or BBQ pineapple. This sweetness actually reminds me of Smokehead Rum Rebel. My only criticism I suppose is that there is a lack of things to find. Undeniably this delivers excellence, but there are very few things that I have found. I don’t know if thats just me. In any case, a few more flavours would be perfect.
F: Long. As the smoke clears there is a plump raisin and tannic deliciousness.
This is not the liquid I remember from last time. This is gold. Like a surgeons scalpel this is precise and delicate, but effective. The peat is beautifully restrained and just melts into the palate. Clean, crisp, and well made. well worth the buy.
(Whilst not from the Isle of Mull directly, the Tiree Marble Pictured here with green diopside and pink dolomite is from the Isle of Tiree right next door and has its origins dating back some 2.5 billion years ago)
Distiller whisky taste #96
97.99
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per
Bottle
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@cascode Tobermory 12 is on the list then! Cheers
@DrRHCMadden The core range is limited to this one, a Tobermory 12 and a Ledaig 18 (which is very good). Apart from that you mainly see special caskings, either NAS or quite old - like 17+ years, in both lines. Tobermory and Ledaig are whiskies I will buy without having a taste first.
@cascode so the regular ‘Tobermory’ offering is worth a try then I take it?
@DrRHCMadden Tobermory distillery is on a roll at the moment. This 10 has been a dependable drop for a fair while (and as @LouisianaLonghorn said below it oxidises very well) but the expressions that have been released over the last couple of yeras have been very fine and good value, too. After being in the doldrums for decades the distillery just blossomed after it was acquired by the Distell Group.
@PBMichiganWolverine good question. No. • Dolomite (dolostone in USA) is a sedimentary rock comprised of the mineral dolomite. It’s confusing, I know. The Dolomites in Italy, are mostly Dolomite the rock type. They’ll be grey and really fine grained. Dolomites like this are essentially a magnesium rich limestone. • This Marble is a metamorphic rock (heat and pressure affecting a former rock). In this case a former limestone was metamorphosed into dolomite (the mineral) and diopside. And even though the rock is 75% dolomite, this rock isn’t a dolomite. • Geologists are a-holes. • The cliff notes here for you: Mull and it’s western mini islands are awesome, and this whisky is a freaking steal for under AUD$100!
@DrRHCMadden is that the same rock found in the Dolomites, hence the name ?
@LouisianaLonghorn I definitely look forward to that! :D cheers dude :
Nicely stated. I’ve had a bottle of this open for several months and it’s about 40% consumed. The time oxidising in the bottle has been kind to the liquid, so I think you’re in for even more of a treat down the road.