Ledaig 1995 DeDr Westie Sponge (Decadent Drinks)

Decadent Drinks bottled this Ledaig, a 29 year old from 1995 and bottled at 52%. Made on the Isle of Mull, Ledaig is the heavily peated malt of the island's only distillery. It is one of Scotland's oldest distilleries, and the only one on its island.

It was worked through high reflux stills from peated malt, for the smoky, maritime spirit Ledaig is known for. A sherry cask wrapped the smoke in dried fruit and a nutty depth. At over thirty years the smoke is a gentle memory over waxy, tropical fruit and old oak. Coastal warehousing lends a mineral, sea spray lift to the smoke. Tobermory has distilled in the island's harbour town since 1798. The town of Tobermory was laid out by the British Fisheries Society a decade before the distillery came. The distillery's history is broken by long silences; its buildings once stored a local cheddar. Burn Stewart revived production in 1993, and Distell bought the distillery in 2013.

At its natural 52% it is concentrated. A maritime smoke over ripe fruit, and the Oloroso gives dried fruit and a toasted nuttiness. Soft smoke and brine sit behind the cask sweetness. The finish runs smoky, sweet and warm. This is a bold, peated island single malt.