Ledaig 2008 MoS (Malts of Scotland)

From Malts of Scotland comes this Ledaig, a 16 year old release from 2008, drawn from cask MoS 24024 and bottled at 56.2%. Just 281 bottles were filled. Ledaig is the peated malt made at Tobermory on Mull, a distillery founded as Ledaig in 1798. The single malts are bottled without chill filtration at 46.3 percent or higher.

Worked through high reflux stills from peated malt, for the smoky, maritime spirit Ledaig is known for. A sherry butt held it, sherry and smoke twining together. Mid age brings a deeper, sweeter smoke and a maritime lift. Coastal warehousing lends a mineral, sea spray lift to the smoke. 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. The distillery sits at the head of the bay, beneath a steep wooded hill.

At 56.2%, undiluted, it is rich and deep. A maritime smoke over ripe fruit, and the Pedro Ximenez lends raisin, date and treacle. Soft smoke and brine sit behind the cask sweetness. It finishes smoky, salty and warming. This is a bold, peated island single malt.