Ledaig 1997 MM Mission Gold (Murray McDavid)

Bottled by Murray McDavid, this Ledaig, a 25 year old from 1997 and bottled at 57.2%. A release of 621 bottles. Made on the Isle of Mull, Ledaig is the heavily peated malt of the island's only distillery. Its history is famously broken, with long silences; the buildings once held holiday lets and stored cheese.

Made in the kinked copper stills from peated barley, for a smoky, tarry make with a sweet core. A fortified cask shaped it, the fruit meeting the smoke. At this age it is mellow and oily, the smoke folded into a rich body. Active casks frame the smoke without smothering the fruit beneath. 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 full 57.2% it is intense and layered. Peat, iodine and a fruity sweetness, and the wine cask lends red berry and a dry spice. 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.