Ledaig 12 Years Old (Discovery)

This is a Ledaig, picked by Gordon & MacPhail, a 12 year old island malt and bottled at 43%. Ledaig is the heavily peated single malt of Tobermory distillery, the only distillery on the Isle of Mull, founded in 1798. The distillery makes two malts: the unpeated Tobermory and the peated Ledaig.

It was made in the kinked copper stills from peated barley, for a smoky, tarry make with a sweet core. Maturation in sherry laid dried fruit over the peat. Mid age brings a deeper, sweeter smoke and a maritime lift. Sherry wood and peat smoke twine together, dried fruit meeting soot. Its painted home town gives the unpeated malt its name. 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. Both malts feed the Scottish Leader and Black Bottle blends as well as single malt.

At an easy 43% it is gentle. Peat, iodine and a fruity sweetness, and the Oloroso adds figgy fruit and a warm nuttiness. 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.