Ledaig 1995 TWA Spring 2020 (The Whisky Agency)

Bottled by The Whisky Agency, this Ledaig, aged 25 year old from 1995 and bottled at 48.5%. Just 282 bottles were filled. Ledaig, the peated malt of Mull's only distillery, keeps the old name the distillery bore when John Sinclair founded it in 1798. It is one of Scotland's oldest distilleries, and the only one on its island.

It was made in the kinked copper stills from peated barley, for a smoky, tarry make with a sweet core. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, vanilla under the maritime smoke. Long ageing brings a soft, sweet smoke, dried fruit and a coastal salt. 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.

Undiluted at 48.5%, it is powerful. Peat, iodine and a fruity sweetness, and vanilla and a soft oak come from the bourbon wood. 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.