Ledaig (pronounced Led-chick) is peated Tobermory, the only distillery on the Isle of Mull. The distillery has been closed more often than it was operational and production didn’t resume in a stable way until 1989. Half of their spirit output is unpeated, half is peated.

Ledaig 8 yo 2001
(61%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams 2010)

Nose: leathery peat with hints of seawater and tarry boat rope. Quite oily with a sweet background. Candied lemon peel. A hint of toffee. When compared to peated Islay whisky, it’s probably closest to Ardbeg or Kilchoman. Very clean but fairly mono-dimensional. Water makes it slightly fresher and adds hints of lemon. Mouth: straightforward peat (much more than expected), quite sweet and rounded, with a nice lemon/salt combination. Peated margarita? More candied with a few drops of water – hints of sweet tobacco in the aftertaste. Finish: peat, peat, sweet peat.

Well-made with a big peat blast and a coating sweetness. Promising for the future of the distillery but nothing exceptional and still quite youngish in character. Too focused on peat for my taste – a slightly lighter alternative for Kilchoman fans maybe? Around € 40 and readily available in this part of Europe.

Score: 83/100