Ledaig 2007 (Douglas Laing)

Bottled by Douglas Laing, this Ledaig, a 14 year old from 2007, drawn from cask DL 14259 and bottled at 51.9%. 261 bottles in all. Made on the Isle of Mull, Ledaig is the heavily peated malt of the island's only distillery. Ledaig, the old name kept for the peated malt, means safe haven in Gaelic.

It was drawn off stills with their S shaped lyne arms, from peated malt, for a heavily peated island spirit. Maturation in sherry laid dried fruit over the peat. Past a decade the smoke softens, the soot and brine settling over ripe fruit. Sea air works into the island maturation, lending Ledaig its briny, coastal edge. Water is drawn from a private hill loch, the Gearr Abhainn, above the town. Its painted home town gives the unpeated malt its name. A rare, more heavily peated make has appeared under the name Iona, after a neighbouring isle. In dry summers the distillery has paused when its hill loch ran low.

At a hearty 51.9% it carries real weight. A sooty smoke with tar and brine, and the Pedro Ximenez lends raisin, date and treacle. The texture is oily, the smoke threaded with sea salt. A long, ashy finish ends on sea salt. This is Ledaig's smoky, maritime single malt.