Ledaig 18 Year Old Batch 2 Sherry Finish

I recently attended a lovely tasting for Burn Stewart Distillery where they served samples from both their whiskies. The unpeated Tobermory and the lightly peated Ledaig.

The evening was conducted by their Master Blender Ian MacMillan who was there to not only educate us but share with us two exclusive firsts.

The first of those firsts was the much awaited Ledaig 42 which has been piquing curiosity around the whisky world. We were very much privileged to have tasted that.

The other, which seemingly flew by beneath the radar, was also a first for Ledaig; their 18 year old. This is the first 18 year old released by the distillery and is quite an accomplished little whisky.

Finished off for eighteen months in Oloroso casks my sample is from a brand new bottle and served un-chill filtered with no coloring at 46.3% ABV

Nose: A little musty. Apples. Cigar leaf. Jaggery. Quite earthy. Dry leaves. Caramel. Touch of smoke. Dark chocolate. Oak. Gets sweeter over time. Butterscotch. Cinnamon. Black pepper. Maybe even some red chili. Touch of salt. This is a nice enough nose. Needs to time to sit and breathe in order to lose the mustiness which I'm not very fond of. Hadn't dissipated completely by the time I was done with it but I knew it was on the way out.

Palate: Dark honey. Caramel. Black peppers. Cinnamon. Red berries. Salt. Brown chocolate. Spiced coffee. Quite nice on the palate. The spices arrive soon after the sweetness with a touch of oak. Goes back to being sweet then spicy again. Interesting.

Finish: Peat smoke. Oily. Mild spices. Hint of oak.

My least favorite dram of the evening but still a fine whisky which should say a lot about the skills of Ian MacMillan.

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