Ledaig 2005 Sb (Sansibar) (63.6%)

Bottled by Sansibar, this Ledaig, an 11 year old release from 2005, drawn from cask 900106 and bottled at 63.6%. Only 252 bottles were released. Ledaig is the peated malt made at Tobermory on Mull, a distillery founded as Ledaig in 1798. The distillery was founded in 1798 by John Sinclair, a local kelp merchant, as the Ledaig distillery.

The spirit 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. Still young, it is smoky and briny with a sweet lift. Active casks frame the smoke without smothering the fruit beneath. The distillery sits at the head of the bay, beneath a steep wooded hill. 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.

At its natural 63.6% it is concentrated. Peat, iodine and a fruity sweetness, and ex-Bourbon oak gives vanilla and a light sweetness. A sweet fruit and a medicinal note sit under the smoke. A long, ashy finish ends on sea salt. This is the smoky side of Tobermory distillery.