LeeEvolved
Ledaig 18 Year
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed
September 13, 2016 (edited November 20, 2018)
Wow wow wow. I've read reviews stating that drinking this is almost a chore. Well, sigh me up for more chores, mom and pay me in LeDaig 18 Year Old.
Putting your nose into the Glencairn glass and inhaling deeply rewards you with big, Laphroaig-y smoke, brine and a tease of sweetness. You expect that first sip to just slam your tongue with medicinal, band-aid and creosote but damn if it doesn't back off and just hit you with a sweet, dark fruit that pops and settles throughout your whole mouth. The heat shows up lastly and then, BAM!, here's that heavy peat smoke that dominates the long, heavy finish.
This bottle runs just shy of $200 but I promise you, I will be buying another the very next day when I sadly finish this one off. It hits all the right notes for me and if you enjoy and appreciate the big smoky Laphroaigs but also want the dark fruit and sweetness of a sherry cask finished scotch then give this a go. A beautiful, beautiful scotch. Cheers.
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@PBMichiganWolverine Hahahaha, best comment
@ Telex- I haven't had many Tobermory malts at all. I believe I tried and thoroughly enjoyed their 10 year old, but mostly because it felt and tasted very lively and young. I think there's a time and place for young scotch and that one hit the spot for me. I keep saying I'm going to try more stuff from this distillery (and a few others), I just seem to have too much stuff already crowding up my cabinet as it is. I'd love to try more LeDaig/ Tobermory for sure, I just don't know when it'll happen.
Since you guys like Ledaig, are you into their basic offerings from Tobermory as well?
Cracked open the Ledaig 10 and enjoyed that. Looking forward to the 18. Ah yes would like to try a Cairdeas. The Port Wood version unfortunately isn't available here and seems to be almost finished world wide
Yes, there's a few auction houses in the U.K. I know of and the secondary market around me, while being predominantly bourbon, is a Facebook group that a friend of mine is involved with. It isn't "official" I suppose, but it is a secondary market with crazy prices, nonetheless lol.
Wait...there's a secondary market for whiskey???!! Is it like when you have a IPO, but limited to the 180 day rule, so you sell your shares off the NSDQ or NYSE? So...in this case, peer to peer or auction houses like wine?
@ Pranay- I've had a pour of the Cairdeas Port Wood. It still ranks as my favorite Laphroiag. If I could find a reasonably priced bottle on the secondary market I'd be all over it. Fantastic whisky, for sure.
If you can get your hands on it---the Laphroaig Cairdeas port (2013 I think) was a stunner. Best peat/port combo I've had
@soba- I've had a crush on port finished whisky for several months now. I would've thought it may have ran its course, but I still think they truly are a match made in heaven. If you really love complexity in your dram and sitting down with a whisky and really trying to decipher it with a bit of an obsession, then this is what to seek out. There are even port finished whiskies that can be had "on the cheap" if you want to get your feet wet before taking the plunge: Tomatin 14 year old is a great example ($55). If you want an even more surreal drinking experience, look for peated whisky finished in port pipes. Dial it up to 11. Cheers.
Soba: I got introduced to the port+peat through the Benriach---been now eyeing Highland Park Fire...but $250 for a 15 yr old seems a bit too much
I appreciate the effort you and Pranay put into your reviews. I've just bought a bottle of the Ledaig 18 and 10 off the back of your two reviews. Next purchase will be one of the few remaining bottles of Benriach Solstice. Not a port finish fan but I'll trust your judgement :-)
This one has moved up my favorites list and is sitting comfortably at the top. It's tickles all the right spots, between peat and sweet, and the 18 long years has worked to perfectly smooth it out. It's right up there with the high end Bowmore bottles at about half their cost. Excellent single malt. I can't recommend it high enough. Cheers.
Spon-on review! I have Ledaig 12 on my barrel this week. Looking forward to taste it and write a few notes... Cheers!
you had me at wow, wow, wow...