Whiskey_Hound
Ledaig 10 Year
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed
May 30, 2019 (edited October 24, 2019)
I firmly believe that the best Island distilleries can go to toe-to-toe with Islay's finest. Talisker, Highland Park, and now this Ledaig from Tobermory.
Nose: Salt and brine jump out of the glass. Beyond that it's medicinal peat smoke and iodine. A bit of sulfur. Seaweed and a big lemon citrus note. Fresh-cut grass. Honey sweetness. And that delicious bacon note featured in the tasting notes here on distiller. Cinnamon spice at the tail end. This one is pungent enough to fill the room with a mere uncorking of the bottle. And I'm glad it does because this nose is nothing short of superb.
Palate: Oily, smoky, salty, briny. Salt, salt, salt. It's like taking a bite out of a soft pretzel. More zesty lemon. Honey, vanilla, butterscotch sweetness. Caramel and and fudge. Some darker fruits like plum. Maybe a bit of tobacco. Strong black pepper and maybe a bit of vinegar.
Edit: After reading a review by @Richard-ModernDrinking I have to add hookah smoke to my notes. Now that I've read it, there's absolutely no mistaking it.
Finish: Moderate-to-long. Some cinnamon and black pepper, the rest is all sea salt. It'll leave you feeling like you just spent a day in the ocean.
If you don't like salt, don't even bother with this one. Fortunately I do, and this one is an absolute winner for me. It's certainly worthy of being in the discussion of best flagship Islay/Island expressions. Is it No. 1? Maybe not, but it's not too far off.
At $60 I'd buy again. It may be a tad high but I'm not complaining. A background dram by no means, this one is enough to command the attention of an experienced peat-head. This one checks all the boxes for me. After this, I'm looking forward to trying another malt from the Isle of Mull.
60.0
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@cascode Thanks for the kind words! I've been curious about the Tobermory 10 myself, but I've never seen it. I've seen a few older Ledaig expressions which I'd go for if I can't find the Tobermory. As for Port Charlotte, I think Bruichladdich is the last Islay distillery to check off my list. You--and the others--have convinced me to push that one higher up on my list
@Whiskey_Hound Port Charlotte is the real Bruichladdich gem IMHO, more balanced and interesting than Octomore. The 10 yo expressions are all killer.
@Whiskey_Hound Great review - only just caught up with it. Love Ledaig 10 and you've captured it well - Tobermory is a much overlooked distillery, and I'm very partial to the unpeated Tobermory 10, although it seems to get little love in general.
@Soba45 Settling on a top 10 is a hell of a task, but I like the ones you put out there. Port Charlotte is now on the list. @Rick_M Thanks for the kind words! I've only had Uigeadail once, but I think it's about time to go after that or the Corry. @geologyjane Thank you! I'll look forward to your review in time
@Whiskey_Hound - Great review, insightful commentary, and.....now I’ve added one more to my “try” list.
@Whiskey_Hound - i gave your review a “like” a while ago but now that I’ve sampled this whisky your review is a perfect fit and could not be improved upon. I was surprised how much this islander reminded me of Ardbeg Uigeadail, and you’ve convinced me to up my opinion another notch to 4.5. I will be buying for a permanent spot in my open bottle collection where it may go even higher. :)
@Whiskey_Hound Good review and I agree Talisker, HP and SB are in my top 10 fav distilleries. Try Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 10 year as well. Nice drop (with water)
@StephenFury Must have for a peat-head!
This review says basically everything I was thinking. Very nice dram!
@Richard-ModernDrinking Never a bad time to pour this one! I'm curious to see whether you pick up the salt this time. @SolanaRoots That's a great list. Everything on it is either a current favorite or something very high on my list
@Whiskey_Hound All great ones you mentioned! My faves are the Springbank, Ardbeg, Talisker, & Benromach 10 Yr bottles. I definitely still need to try this Ledaig, the Port Charlotte, Ben Nevis, & Hazelburn 10. The queue of pours I need to try seems endless :)
I’m puzzled that I didn’t pick up any salt. Clearly time to revisit.
@SolanaRoots Thanks! That's a hell of a question! Speaking strictly Scotch, I'd say this could from 2-4. Talisker has the number one spot, while Laphroaig 10 and Ardbeg 10 are competitive. Off of memory, I'd take this one over those two. Taking other whiskies into account, I'd rank it third. Henry McKenna 10 is number 2. Outside of Eagle Rare, Laphroaig, and Ardbeg, none of the others come close. (I still need to try Springbank)
Top notch review! Where does this rank in your favorite 10 Yr bottles?
@1901 I remember your review well. I also recall you saying that Talisker is one of your favorite distilleries. I know them to produce some salty malts. Perhaps there's simply a tipping point and Ledaig exceeds it for you? I'd say that's fair
Nice review. As you say: salt, salt, salt. It was too much for me.