Ledaig 1997 BA (Blackadder) (61.5%)

Blackadder bottled this Ledaig, a 25 year old release from 1997, drawn from cask 800034 and bottled at 61.5%. A release of 208 bottles. Ledaig is the heavily peated single malt of Tobermory distillery, the only distillery on the Isle of Mull, founded in 1798. The stills carry boil bulbs and an S shaped kink in the lyne arms, which raises reflux.

Worked through high reflux stills from peated malt, for the smoky, maritime spirit Ledaig is known for. It was matured in ex-Bourbon oak, a vanilla sweetness beneath the smoke. Past twenty years the peat is a soft whisper over a deep, fruity malt. Coastal warehousing lends a mineral, sea spray lift to the smoke. A rare, more heavily peated make has appeared under the name Iona, after a neighbouring isle. In dry summers the distillery has paused when its hill loch ran low. The distillery sits at the head of the bay, beneath a steep wooded hill.

At a hearty 61.5% it carries real weight. A maritime smoke over ripe fruit, and vanilla and a soft oak come from the bourbon wood. Soft smoke and brine sit behind the cask sweetness. The finish runs smoky, sweet and warm. This is a bold, peated island single malt.