Ledaig 2011 TCaH (The Caskhound)

The Caskhound bottled this Ledaig, a 14 year old island malt from 2011, drawn from cask 500424 and bottled at 54.5%. Only 184 bottles were released. Made on the Isle of Mull, Ledaig is the heavily peated malt of the island's only distillery. The stills carry boil bulbs and an S shaped kink in the lyne arms, which raises reflux.

Distilled from malt peated to around thirty seven parts per million, building the bold, smoky Ledaig style. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, vanilla under the maritime smoke. Past a decade the smoke softens, the soot and brine settling over ripe fruit. The heavily peated spirit holds its smoke well across long maturation. The stills carry boil bulbs and a kink in the lyne arms, which lifts the reflux. Water is drawn from a private hill loch, the Gearr Abhainn, above the town. Its painted home town gives the unpeated malt its name.

Bottled at a cask strength 54.5%, it is intense. Wood smoke, BBQ char and a coastal salt, and the ex-Bourbon lends vanilla and a soft honey. It is bold and coastal, the peat and soot to the fore. The finish runs smoky, sweet and warm. This is a heavily peated malt from Mull's only distillery.