Ledaig 2011 MM (Murray McDavid) (55.7%)

Murray McDavid selected this Ledaig, a 13 year old from 2011, drawn from cask 2300948 and bottled at 55.7%. A release of 310 bottles. Made on the Isle of Mull, Ledaig is the heavily peated malt of the island's only distillery. The single malts are bottled without chill filtration at 46.3 percent or higher.

Run through the distillery's boil ball stills from peated barley, to build the medicinal, briny Ledaig character. A sherry cask wrapped the smoke in dried fruit and a nutty depth. By this age the peat rounds into a sweeter, coastal smoke. Peat smoke and active oak settle together over the years, the smoke softening as the fruit deepens. Both malts feed the Scottish Leader and Black Bottle blends as well as single malt. The distillery was refurbished and its stills renewed between 2017 and 2019. Mull's maritime climate works into the maturing casks over the years. It is one of the oldest commercial distilleries in Scotland still working.

At cask strength 55.7% it is muscular. Soot, sea salt and a sweet fruit, and the Pedro Ximenez lends raisin, date and treacle. Beneath the smoke run brine, tar and a sweet fruit. It closes long, smoky and briny. This is the peated island malt of Mull.