The Tobermory Distillery on the picturesque Isle of Mull isn't home to just unpeated whisky. It also makes superbly smoky single malt under the name of Ledaig (that name isn't simply a coincidence, by the way - Ledaig was one of the distillery's previous names!). Distilled using the same pot stills as the classic unpeated Tobermory expression, just with peated barley instead, the whisky boasts plumes of rich, earthy, almost medicinal smoke, with underlying fresh fruit and crushed spice notes. This particular expression ages for 10 years before bottled at the very specific strength of 46.3% ABV.
Quite light and well-balanced. There is a very soft peat with a gentle smoke. Notes of barley and malt extract, with walnut and pine oil and a hint of iodine, dried fruit and nuts.
Medium-bodied and quite rich. There are notes of spice and smoke gathering above the charred oak. The peat is quiet and dry with a touch of black pepper and earth.
Medium-length and slightly smoky with spice.
Horrible
Wow, what a pleasant surprise. Every Islay fan needs to buy a bottle of this. You won’t be disappointed. My new go to peat fix for under £40
At first taste, medicinal, bonfire, spicy smoke. Must say it grew on me. After a few sips, loved it. Taste lingers on the palate. Gave way to craving it. Haunting smoke drew me back. Great Dram.
Pour a double in a low ball glass & add a dribble of water, leave for at least an hour, you get a completely different experience. Peppery, sweet, cereal, warm dry peat smoke, long finish. It is indeed is far superior than it's price tag & age suggests but needs to be treated with respect to coax it out from behind it bullish exterior.
I agree with many of the tasting notes here: oily, briny, kippers, ham but "soft", "gentle" and "quiet" peat is nowhere near the mark. It's heavily peated - or at least my bottle is! I get the impression from others that unless a whisky is from Islay it can't really be peated. But I'm tasting this side-by-side with Port Charlotte 10, Ardbeg 10, Uigeadail, Kilchoman etc and this is not lightly peated! It's heavily peated but just a different style to Islay. I think examples of lightly peated whiskies would be Bhunnahabain 12 or Springbank 10. Anyway, Ledaig (pronounced Lechaig - in case you didn't know) is really really good stuff with a rich mouthfeel (like Tobermory) and is much cheaper than many lesser whiskies that have bigger marketing campaigns but don't deliver when you open the bottle. The finish seems nice and long to me and I'm not left with a bad aftertaste as some have mentioned. Maybe it's improved? If you like peated whiskies - and I mean the TASTE of them - and aren't easily swayed by marketing or dogma: get some - it's delicious.
