Smokey peat oversees a delightful bevy of distant flavors

• Ledaig
• 46.3 percent
• Single Malt
• Non chill filtered
• Natural color
• 10 year

Nose: slightly burnt wet timber, salty lemon, beef jerky, pepper, mandarin, peach, over ripe fruit, popcorn

Taste: campfire, hint of butterscotch, oats, bitter chocolate, maple syrup, touch of fudge, bit of pear, and a fresh band aid

The flavors, the quality, the presentation…all are beautifully represented in this lovely gem from the Scottish Isles. The way Ledaig have managed to include such depths of flavour in the limited real estate that a peaty profile allows is amazing – especially at just ten years old. Equally amazing is that Ledaig packed this kind of quality into a bottle under £50. I don’t mean to be a gate keeper – but Im glad that Tesco, Asda, and other retailers in the UK are selling various big named brands at this price point. It saves the quality for the rest of us out there who relish it. In a world where vintage scotch whiskey has become a commodity – because new wood isn’t as good as old, because more ingredients are sourced from tired soil…because demand ravages supply, this is one of those thoughtful specimens that will probably be remembered by the current generation of scotch drinkers – once old – of the good old days – when there were still examples of premium products for the common man.46.