Tobermory Distillery, formerly the Ledaig Distillery, has a somewhat tumultuous past, with a history which stretches all the way back to 1798, yet is filled with stops and starts. The only distillery on the Isle of Mull, Tobermory is helmed by master distiller Ian MacMillan, and produces two lines of single malts. There’s Tobermory, which is unpeated, and Ledaig, which is peated. Each is produced for six months of the year.
This summer, there are two new releases to the Ledaig family available for sale, and here, we have a spotlight on one of them, Ledaig 18 Year Old.
Ledaig 18, distilled in 1996, is made to harken back to a traditional peated style the distillery would have originally produced. Below are my thoughts:
On the nose, you’ll find a peaty, briny and salty profile. But there are floral notes as well, along with baking spices and sherry. There’s a soft, creamy, rich mouthfeel with a very smooth palate. A bit oily. Find more sherry, with raisins, as well as pepper, smoke and more salt, before a nice warming finish with appropriate final notes of smoke and brine. It’s a wonderful dram.
Bottled at 46.3% ABV, 500 cases of the release will hit the United States, with a price of $160 per bottle.
Well beyond that territory is the second new release, Ledaig 42 Year Old…
The whisky was distilled in 1972, and is the oldest, rarest and yes, most expensive, whisky release in the distillery’s history. I haven’t had the pleasure to sample Ledaig Dusgadh 42, a collector’s whisky priced at $5,000 bottle (poor me, I know), so if you’ve been lucky enough to give it a try, then let me know your thoughts!
