Even though it says on the label that it’s a mystery malt, it also says it’s Mull’s Finest, and it’s a peated whisky. Ergo, Ledaig.
This time, I did know what the distillery was based on what it tasted like. Somehow, Ledaig is always quite recognizable to me. Which is not something I can often say.
Sniff:
Well, there’s quite some peaty, salty smoke in here. I immediately go west, much like the Pet Shop Boys. Initially I was thinking about Islay, Lagavulin or Ardbeg. But, after a couple more sniffs, I’m veering more towards Ledaig. That’s a risk, of course, because scoring points for the correct region becomes tricky. There’s a lot of ash, coastal salinity, tar, and some dark fruity sherry.
Sip:
The palate builds slowly, with black pepper and peat smoke leading the way. After that comes the salinity, funky sherry and more smoke. Too smoky for Talisker, but with that kind of pepperiness.
Swallow:
Still a lot of pepper, more so than on the palate. The sweetness from the dried fruit notes is gone instantly which makes the pepper bite a bit harder.
So yeah, this was Ledaig alright. I went for a 15 year old (randomly) and guessed 57% which also netted me some points. I really enjoy this kind of whisky. It’s not subtle or very layered, one could even call it a bit clunky. But, the barbecue flavors work really well with the coastal undertones and it’s something I enjoy. A recommended dram, picked by Whisky Mercenary / Jurgen Vromans in Belgium.
87/100
Malt Fascination 