Ledaig 2007 RBTW (Rest & be Thankful Whisky Company)

This Ledaig was chosen and bottled by Rest & be Thankful Whisky Company matured to 11 year old from 2007, drawn from cask 700612 and bottled at 58.5%. The outturn was 439 bottles. Made on the Isle of Mull, Ledaig is the heavily peated malt of the island's only distillery. Burn Stewart revived the distillery in 1993, and Distell of South Africa bought it in 2013.

The spirit was distilled from peated malt in kinked copper stills on soft Mull water, giving a sooty, coastal peat smoke over a fruity sweetness. Ex-Sherry wood added dried fruit to the smoky spirit. At a youthful age the smoke is vigorous and coastal. Refill oak lets the peat and brine of Ledaig lead. 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. The stills carry boil bulbs and a kink in the lyne arms, which lifts the reflux.

At cask strength 58.5% it is muscular. Peat smoke, brine and a medicinal note, and the Oloroso gives dried fruit and a toasted nuttiness. A BBQ char and a sea salt lift it. A long, peaty finish smoulders to the end. This is Ledaig, the peated malt of the Isle of Mull.