Ledaig 1997 DD The Nectar of the Daily Drams

Bottled by Daily Dram, this Ledaig, a 22 year old release from 1997 and bottled at 53.4%. Ledaig is the peated malt made at Tobermory on Mull, a distillery founded as Ledaig in 1798. The distillery was founded in 1798 by John Sinclair, a local kelp merchant, as the Ledaig distillery.

The spirit was made in the kinked copper stills from peated barley, for a smoky, tarry make with a sweet core. It was matured in ex-Bourbon oak, a vanilla sweetness beneath the smoke. Past twenty years the peat is a soft whisper over a deep, fruity malt. Active casks frame the smoke without smothering the fruit beneath. 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. It is one of the oldest commercial distilleries in Scotland still working.

At a hearty 53.4% it carries real weight. Peat, iodine and a fruity sweetness, and the ex-Bourbon lends vanilla and a soft honey. 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.