Ledaig 1995 HoMc (House of McCallum)

From House of McCallum comes this Ledaig, a 24 year old from 1995, drawn from cask 132 and bottled at 46.8%. Just 284 bottles were filled. Ledaig is the smoky side of Tobermory distillery on the Isle of Mull, one of Scotland's oldest distilleries. Water comes from the Gearr Abhainn, a private hill loch above the town of Tobermory.

The spirit was run through the distillery's boil ball stills from peated barley, to build the medicinal, briny Ledaig character. Ex-Bourbon casks held it, soft oak that lets the peat lead. At this age it is mellow and oily, the smoke folded into a rich body. The phenols soften with age into a gentle, sweet wood smoke. 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. Burn Stewart revived production in 1993, and Distell bought the distillery in 2013.

At a hearty 46.8% it carries real weight. Soot, sea salt and a sweet fruit, and ex-Bourbon oak gives vanilla and a light sweetness. Beneath the smoke run brine, tar and a sweet fruit. It finishes smoky, salty and warming. This is the peated island malt of Mull.