Ledaig Batch 3 (TBWC)

Single malt Ledaig, from the independent bottler That Boutique-y Whisky Company, an 18 year old island malt and bottled at 51.7%. The outturn was 921 bottles. Ledaig, the peated malt of Mull's only distillery, keeps the old name the distillery bore when John Sinclair founded it in 1798. The single malts are bottled without chill filtration at 46.3 percent or higher.

Distilled from peated malt in kinked copper stills on soft Mull water, giving a sooty, coastal peat smoke over a fruity sweetness. It was matured in ex-Bourbon oak, a vanilla sweetness beneath the smoke. Around the mid teens the smoke knits with dried fruit and a sea salt. A patient maturation suits the bold, smoky Ledaig character. 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.

At its natural 51.7% it is concentrated. Peat smoke, brine and a medicinal note, and ex-Bourbon oak gives vanilla and a light sweetness. A BBQ char and a sea salt lift it. The finish is deep, tarry and sweet. This is Ledaig, the peated malt of the Isle of Mull.