Ledaig 12yo 46.3% OB
Both Bunnahabhain and Ledaig/Tobermory have introduced us to new OB's this year at 46.3%, or perhaps it was late last year? Let's see if it improves it? It smells sweet and lightly peaty, not unlike the Ardbeg Blasda. The flavors are quite heavy, lots of peaty smoke and some dirty rum notes. It lacks some maltiness for me to enjoy it thoroughly, some flowers and weeds, bitter stuff. After a bit of time, lets say 15 minutes, some dark chocolate, strong coffee and sweet almonds appears. Now it talks more of my language, definitely an improvement to old NAS version.
Fine combination of a good spirit and massive peat: 6.5
Tobermory 14yo 1996-2010 50% Old Malt Cask Douglas Laing
Tobermory hass recently had a boom due to some very well received versions of their peated malt Ledaig. The unpeated version is one you hear far less about, so let's see if the spirit can deliver without peat. It smells coastal, nice salty, briny, crystal salt, cod liver and lime skin. The taste is peppery, complex, salty, sweet, caviar and cream, a wonderful blast of different flavors. The aftertaste is long and peppery, with pistachio and cannabis (relax, I've only tried a bun in amsterdam). A very well made malt with lots of characteristics.
A damn good dram: 7.5
Tobermory 11yo 1996-2007 60.1% Alambic Classique x/60 btls.
A very limited edition this one, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's just because it's so bad they wouldn't continue. I guess it's from a barrel or quarter? Does size matter tastewise? I'm sure it does. It's almost as pale as water, probably bourbon wood. The smell is very spirity. The taste is actually quite simple, sweet, bourbony, vanilla and pepper. It's so straight-forward I'll add water right away. For a whisky at this high % abv I think it's weird to be as light and easy as any other bourbon-matured diluted 40% malt. The water brings out some more bourbon notes and gives a bit longer and drying finish. Other than that it's flawless but quite uneventful.
A limited edition everyday malt: 5.5
Ledaig 11yo 1993-2004 43% Signatory Vintage cask 125
Today I'll try three alternative peated malts, which means they're not from Islay. This one, stated on bottle comes from Ledaig Distillery, which actually isn't a distillery, it's just a peated version of Tobermory. It has a nice coastal smell, and of course some peat, 35ppm to be excact. Initially it does taste like the soft and mild Tobermory, but when the peat hits it's actually very nice. Unfortunately it does get kind of one-dimensional then as all the distillery character disappears and all I'm left with is peat.
One to use as a peat initiation, it lacks many many other things: 5
Ledaig 9yo 1990-1999 40% Connoisseurs Choice Gordon & MacPhail
The peated version from Tobermory Distillery, I've not heard too much about it yet. It has a very nice and perfumy smell, like a male cologne, don't know what to expect tastewise. It is sweet and sour, like dried oranges, it's hard to recognize the peat. The aftertaste is long and minty, like mint drops. With some water it gets more peppery, but doesn't improve to much.
I'll have a regular Tobermory instead, thanks: 2.5
Tobermory NAS 40% OB
So this is a version of Ledaig without the peat, from Tobermory distillery, let's see... A very light fragrance, some cinnamon and bag of unpolished rice. The taste is much the same with some dried berries at first, but it's totally lacking any finish at all. It reminds me of Chivas Regal 12 in a way. I think a cask strength version perhaps could have raised my eyebrows, but money talks in this industry...
Comfy grannymalt: 4
Ledaig 14yo 59.6% Cadenhead's
It strikes me as a bit weird that a whisky of this strength has almost no fragrance on the nosing at all. Perhaps a faint hint of freshly cut grass. Anyhow, the taste has exciting hints og burnt sugar at first, then a robust and massive expression of dark chocolate in the finish. An absolute delight.
Different and enjoyable: 6.5
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