Thursday, May 25, 2017

Whisky Review: Ledaig 10 years Single Malt Scotch



Ledaig 10 year old Single Malt Scotch

Region
Isle of Mull, Scotland.

Distillery
Tobermory.

Price
Reasonable.

Closure
Natural cork.

Age Statement
10 years.

ABV
46.3

Production Notes
Unchillfiltered and no artificial coloring.

Nose (diluted)
Mildly antiseptic, loam earth, smoky, road tar.

Palate (diluted) 
Salty sea water, brine, iodine, ginger sweetness, big peat and black sooty smoke.

Finish (diluted)
Ginger, kippers, smoked mackerel and sharp peppercorns.

General Impressions
This is priced a little less or right along side inexpensive, entry level single malts.  For the price, you are going to receive a big peat, smoke and peppercorn tasting malt with sweet ginger to boot.

If you like Ardbeg, Laphroaig and other malts of Islay, you will like this non-Islay malt that competes with the aforementioned distilleries.

For those of you who do not like the taste of peppercorns, peat and smoke with a twist, and much prefer honeyed, salted caramel fair with some sherry that is typical of Speyside and the Highlands, then Ledaig is not for you.

For me, I like Ledaig when in the mood for good peat, sweet smoke, beach fire notes, this is a great ship to take me there.

Cheers!




Jason Debly

6 comments:

  1. Rapt to see this review Jason... Had a couple of Ledaigs. Big Fan. Like better than Ardbeg 10.
    Your notes are spot on... though I haven't tried with water. Been a while since trying Talisker 10... My guess is they would be pretty close...
    AL

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    Replies
    1. Yes, it does share some similarity with Talisker 10, though the latter is a bit more lemony (in a good way) and somewhat more complex.

      The price on Ledaig just makes it a no-brainer.

      Have a great weekend!

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  2. I was not all that impressed with Ledaig (which I read somewhere is supposed to be pronounced "Led-chick"?). It has a cloying sweetness which I found off-putting. The oak is not balanced very well against the peat.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have had three bottle and the first two were really good and sweeter than this one. the current bottle that was the subject of this review is less sweet and less complex, so there seems to be some variation maybe in the batches that is quite noticeable. However, I have never found the sweetness cloying.

      In general, Tobermory is a poor quality distillery judging from their releases bearing the name of the distillery, but Ledaig is a bright spot for me at least.

      As for pronunciation, I have also read that it is "Lechick" but a Scottish friend says it is all about the accent of the Scotsman. I dunno, and based on his advice pronounced it Lechaig.

      Anyhow, thanks for commenting! and have a great weekend!!

      Delete
    2. I purchased my bottle of Ledaig as an homage to the Isle of Mull, which has a strong historical association with my last name. However, I'll be sticking with Skye and Islay in the future :^)

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  3. Have so far... The Geelong Cats won a nail biter in the Footy (Aussie Rules). You too mate.
    AL

    ReplyDelete