Ledaig 2005 UD (UD – bottler)

This is a Ledaig, drawn and bottled by UD - bottler, a 16 year old release from 2005, drawn from cask 300330 and bottled at 54.2%. Only 281 bottles were released. Ledaig, the peated malt of Mull's only distillery, keeps the old name the distillery bore when John Sinclair founded it in 1798. The stills carry boil bulbs and an S shaped kink in the lyne arms, which raises reflux.

Drawn off stills with their S shaped lyne arms, from peated malt, for a heavily peated island spirit. A refill bourbon cask held it, keeping the smoke to the fore. By this age the peat rounds into a sweeter, coastal smoke. Long maturation turns fierce young smoke into a rounded, coastal peat. Mull's maritime climate works into the maturing casks over the years. It is one of the oldest commercial distilleries in Scotland still working. Tobermory has distilled in the island's harbour town since 1798.

At 54.2%, undiluted, it is rich and deep. A sooty smoke with tar and brine, and the ex-Bourbon lends vanilla and a soft honey. The texture is oily, the smoke threaded with sea salt. Soot and brine see out a long finish. This is Ledaig's smoky, maritime single malt.