Ledaig 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

Ralfy's Whisky of the Year 2022. - ralfy.com

Ledaig ten year old has come a long way since it debuted in 2010. The latest incarnations have maintained momentum, so much so that popular Youtube blogger, Ralfy named it his whisky of the year for 2022. You only need a small sample to get the gist: Powerful aromas of cocoa and sooty malt come with traces of brine, salted nuts and peppercorns, lanolin and beeswax. The palate develops into a typically brawny, briney Ledaig experience combining vanilla, malt and peat before finishing dry and mildly peppery with excellent balance. The aftertaste sees a return of the wet wool / lanolin notes which linger with good persistence. Great to see this obscure malt back on Australian shelves and in terrific form. Non Chill-filtered. 46.3% Alc./Vol.

Other reviews... I love the intensely malty and enticingly peaty opening aroma that emits pungent notes of filled ashtray, soot, sea breeze and kippers. Palate entry is dry initially then rapidly turns off-dry and salty; at midpalate, the taste profile explodes on the tongue in flavors of salted peanut, smoked fish, paraffin, light toffee and salted butter.  92 points - winenthusiast.com

[+/- 2017 bottling] ...I last tried this expression in 2012. I appreciated it… moderately (WF 80). Colour: white wine. Nose: fine, light, with whiffs of carbon paper and new leatherette, new plastic bags at the supermarket (banned in France, though), lemon zests, smoked tea, and coal/soot. It’s not big, but I think it’s cleaner than its earlier inceptions. Mouth: no, it’s good, really. It’s lacking a part of the lemony side that works so well with many young indies, but on the other hand, there are nice notes of coffee and vanilla, from the wood, most probably. That’s the problem with most distillery owners, they tend to overdo the oak part. But we’re fine here, it’s, well, a very fine dram. And hey, let’s remember that earlier official Ledaigs had been terrible, feinty, butyric, gym-socky, puk… Ok, ok, we’re all done here. Finish: medium, brine-y, a tad sour. Comments: a very, very fine Ledaig, for sure. It’s just that the thousands of indie bottlers around us are having even better ones these days. Only IMHO, of course. 83 points - whiskyfun.com