Ledaig Aged 10 Years
Single malt scotch whisky
The Isle of mull
Age: 10 years
Abv: 46.3%
Un-chill filtered

Ledaig 10yo (pronounced “Leh-d-chig”?  Led Chig?  Le Chig?  We’ve debated it endlessly, but it is definitely not “Le-daig”) is an offering from the Isle of Mull, which puts it in fine company with the other Islands.  Another “no longer available in NS”, I picked this bottle up in NB over the past summer.

Bottle notes (box notes, actually – nothing on the bottle itself)
“Colour: Bright Lemony Gold.
Nose: Sweet briny smokiness with a distinctly island character that hints at mild antiseptic, creosote, wax polish, mint chocolate and floral seaside aromas.
Palate: Tantalizingly sweet yet medicinal flavours release sparks of spicy pepper with peaty smoke and vanilla malty creaminess.
Finish: Spicy white pepper and sweet vibrant licorice and cloves with a lingering saltiness.“

Nose
Strong, vegetal peat. Wet, slightly rotting grass. Swirling smoke, in and out. Wooden barrels, buried ‘neath wet vegetation, slowly decaying from the damp.  Hints of a rich fig fruit.  With some time, I start to pick up a coastal brine.  Closing my eyes, I am transported to a seaside marshy bog, a smoldering pile of peat slowly burning nearby.

After a sip, there is a floral presence, and nail polish remover.  No… less that, more into a cleanser, the antiseptic notes.  Yes, the peat is still there, but a strong nosing curves it to the medicinal.  Definitely hints of floral, though I cannot pinpoint them.  Very interesting how tame the peat, vegetation and smoke have become after a solid sip.  Still present, and come forth when called, but the nose has changed, aye.

Palate
Bright and fiery at first, and a huge dose of saltiness.  In fact, after many minutes with the nose, I feel unprepared for this first sip – it hits fast, and salt swamps me.

Subsequent sips are more controlled now, the smoke and peat are here, definitely wooden notes of spice and vanilla.  A slightly… metallic tang?  Medicinal probably, not quite metallic, but that tinge of antiseptic I guess.  I get less salt now, but it is there, just more entwined with the rest.

Finish
The first sip fades to more of the nose – slight peat, the brine persists, and a sweetness dances about.

Later finishes start to leave a bit of a coating on the tongue, a less pleasant taste than the palate experience.  Slightly plasticky, some licks of salt, a general peat/smoke cloud.  I’m suddenly struck with the image of a tongue depressor.

Final Thoughts
Well, this one is pretty cool.  Bruce researched and secured this one last year, and my goodness, it was a find.  After his initial discovery, we landed a couple more bottles on yellow tag here in NS, and in hindsight, I wish I had cleared the shelf.  This is one of the finest aroma’s I’ve experience from a dram of whisky!  It is such a wonder on the nose.  Granted, you have to be inclined to the peat and island character, and if you are, this is one of the top tickles you could possibly treat your nose to.

Tonight was an exceptional experience on the nose – probably the very best I’ve had with Ledaig 10yo.  My notes may make it sound like the opening of a horror movie, but it is more like the opening crescendo of a classical masterpiece.  Without question, you have to be a fan of the Islay style peat and smoke, and if you are, this junket over to the Isle of Mull for a Ledaig is one of the best side quests you could embark on.  

Past drams have delivered more enjoyable tasting and finishes, but the nose tonight was unparalleled – just a complete joy that put a smile on my face right out of the bottle.