Ledaig Rioja Cask Finish

Ledaig barely needs an introduction, right? The peated version of Tobermory. The name means 'safe haven' and it was also the original name of the distillery, until the village of Tobermory burst at the seams and swallowed up the fishing port. Bottled at 46.3% to eliminate the need for chill filtration. This Ledaig first matured in bourbon casks and then got a finish on Rioja wine barrels. Rioja is perhaps the most famous Spanish wine region, located in the northeast of the country along the banks of the Ebro. The most famous grape variety is Tempranillo and 90% of their wines are red and you can see that in the color of this whisky.

Ledaig's dirty notes are unmistakable – young peat, diesel fumes, fried bacon and pretzels – but are nicely fluffed up with sweet and sour fruit, strawberries and raspberries. Something of spicy cheese and even the smell of a cowshed.

In the mouth it is more of the same, but with a lot of smokiness and quite a few herbs. Lightly drying due to the tannins of the wine barrel. Blackcurrants, now.

In the medium finish, the smoke slowly fades away to make way for a bitter and some ashes and stockfish. Delicious.

For a whisky with a price tag of 40 EUR, you can call this bang for your buck. Thx, Manny!

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