4 Ledaig IB's: TWE Show Report

Hi everyone,

We are continuing with the Ledaig reviews today.

There are 2 types of Ledaigs really. There’s the official ones, which are very nice of course. And then there’s the indie bottlings, which can be outstanding and are almost always a reasonable price.

I had quite a few at the Show and I just had to buy some of these. Particularly the Gordon MacPhail is just fantastic.

These are all 10-11 years old and all of them show a great maturity and balance for that age.

Ledaig 11 Single Malts of Scotland (Sherry cask) 56.8%

Colour: Amber

Body: Medium/Full

Nose: There’s the savoury Ledaig I love. Quite meaty, Sherry and smoke combo, tobacco and toffee.

Taste: A surprisingly soft arrival, sweet Sherry, building meaty smoke, tobacco, black cherry then more smoke.

Finish: Long length. Smoky and earthy with coffee and dark chocolate.

Notes: This has not been released yet as the labels had been printed wrong, hopefully the price will be right and I can buy one.

83/100

Ledaig 2005 Signatory Cask Strength 54.6%

Colour: Amber

Body: Full

Nose: Some meatiness, exotic fruit, malty smoke. A great balanced sweetness.

Taste: Soft arrival, exotic fruit again, red berry, building up with meatiness and spiciness, black pepper and salami.

Finish: Medium/Long length. Lovely, peat smoke, meaty red fruit balance.

Notes: From a 1st Fill Sherry cask, but quite light in colour compared to some other similar bottlings. Great with water too!

84/100

Ledaig 11 Time Series IV 48%

Colour: Straw

Body: Medium

Nose: Briny, sea salt, olive oil, white pepper. An amazing natural whisky.

Taste: Soft arrival, briny, green olives, olive oil, builds on the same theme. Very oily and full. Great balance.

Finish: Medium/Long length. More brine, sea salt, soot and olive oil. Lovely.

Notes: I assume this is from a Bourbon barrel. Like drinking sea water and olive oil! This is fantastic. Beauty in its simplicity, great balance and a great price, £55 a bottle (I don’t include price in my score).

84/100

Ledaig 2004 Gordon & MacPhail TWE Exclusive 57.8%

Colour: Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Lovely Sherry and Ledaig smoke balanced perfectly. Gristy, gritty smoke, peppery meat.

Taste: Intense, cherry, Sherry, peppery meat again, really balanced. Lovely with water but goes more oaky.

Finish: Long length. Amazing, meaty with Sherry.

Notes: From a Sherry Hogshead, in my opinion one of the best types of barrel used in the industry. This is a stunner. It passes the Oog test with flying colours. I had to buy one of these at £66, completely worth every penny. Might re-review this when I open the bottle.

86/100

Well, that’s it for Ledaig but more to come!

Reviews #194-#197

Network Average: 75.0

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 44

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent