Ledaig 1994 SdS (Swell de Spirits)

From Swell de Spirits comes this Ledaig, a 29 year old release from 1994, drawn from cask 381052 and bottled at 55.8%. Only 357 bottles were released. Ledaig is the smoky side of Tobermory distillery on the Isle of Mull, one of Scotland's oldest distilleries. The single malts are bottled without chill filtration at 46.3 percent or higher.

Distilled from malt peated to around thirty seven parts per million, building the bold, smoky Ledaig style. Maturation in sherry laid dried fruit over the peat. At this great age the peat is faint and the malt waxy and deep. The heavily peated spirit holds its smoke well across long maturation. 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.

At a hearty 55.8% it carries real weight. Wood smoke, BBQ char and a coastal salt, and the Oloroso lends raisin, walnut and a dried fruit richness. It is bold and coastal, the peat and soot to the fore. It finishes smoky, salty and warming. This is a heavily peated malt from Mull's only distillery.