Ledaig 2005 (Signatory) (65.5%)

This is a Ledaig, drawn and bottled by Signatory Vintage, a 16 year old island malt from 2005, drawn from cask 900039 and bottled at 65.5%. A release of 526 bottles. Ledaig is the peated malt made at Tobermory on Mull, a distillery founded as Ledaig in 1798. The distillery makes two malts: the unpeated Tobermory and the peated Ledaig.

It was drawn off stills with their S shaped lyne arms, from peated malt, for a heavily peated island spirit. Maturation in sherry laid dried fruit over the peat. By this age the peat rounds into a sweeter, coastal smoke. Long maturation turns fierce young smoke into a rounded, coastal peat. It is one of the oldest commercial distilleries in Scotland still working. 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.

At a natural 65.5% it is bold and full. A sooty smoke with tar and brine, and the Oloroso brings dried fruit, fig and a nutty depth. The texture is oily, the smoke threaded with sea salt. Soot and brine see out a long finish. This is Ledaig's smoky, maritime single malt.