Ledaig 2011 (Signatory)

Bottled by Signatory Vintage, this Ledaig, aged 8 year old from 2011, drawn from cask 19 (part) and bottled at 60%. Just 150 bottles were filled. Ledaig is the smoky side of Tobermory distillery on the Isle of Mull, one of Scotland's oldest distilleries. The distillery was founded in 1798 by John Sinclair, a local kelp merchant, as the Ledaig distillery.

The spirit was made in the kinked copper stills from peated barley, for a smoky, tarry make with a sweet core. Ex-Sherry wood added dried fruit to the smoky spirit. At a youthful age the smoke is vigorous and coastal. Active casks frame the smoke without smothering the fruit beneath. 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. Both malts feed the Scottish Leader and Black Bottle blends as well as single malt.

At a hearty 60% it carries real weight. Peat, iodine and a fruity sweetness, and the Sauternes lends honey and apricot. A sweet fruit and a medicinal note sit under the smoke. A long, ashy finish ends on sea salt. This is the smoky side of Tobermory distillery.