Ledaig 2009 HiSp (Hidden Spirits) (54.2%)

This is a Ledaig, picked by Hidden Spirits, a 12 year old from 2009, drawn from cask LG921T and bottled at 54.2%. 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 made in the kinked copper stills from peated barley, for a smoky, tarry make with a sweet core. A refill bourbon cask held it, keeping the smoke to the fore. Around the mid teens the smoke knits with dried fruit and a sea salt. Sherry wood and peat smoke twine together, dried fruit meeting soot. Both malts feed the Scottish Leader and Black Bottle blends as well as single malt. The distillery was refurbished and its stills renewed between 2017 and 2019. Mull's maritime climate works into the maturing casks over the years. It is one of the oldest commercial distilleries in Scotland still working.

At a natural 54.2% it is bold and full. Peat, iodine and a fruity sweetness, and the bourbon cask adds vanilla and a gentle honey. A sweet fruit and a medicinal note sit under the smoke. Soot and brine see out a long finish. This is the smoky side of Tobermory distillery.