Google Double Ledaig
 
 

Serge whiskyfun
Home
Thousands of tastings,
all the music,
all the rambligs
and all the fun
(hopefully!)

Warning


Facebook Twitter Logo

Whiskyfun.com
Guaranteed ad-free
copyright 2002-2025

 

Whiskyfun  
Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé!
   
   
 

January 11, 2025


Whiskyfun

 

 

 

Angus's Corner
From our correspondent and
skilled taster Angus MacRaild in Scotland


Double Ledaig

Two old Ledaig, to stave off wintery January here in Scotland.
Angus  

 

 

 

 

 

Ledaig 20 yo (43%, OB, late 1990s)

Ledaig 20 yo (43%, OB, late 1990s)
I have vivid and fond memories of how they used to be extremely fond of this bottling in the old Loch Fyne Whiskies shop, and how their great salesman, Andy, used to sell it to anyone and everyone with great verve and enthusiasm. Very much the age of innocence! Now, as I recall, some batches were distinctly better than others... Colour: pale straw. Nose: ah yes, a peaty one! Coal smoke, soft tarry notes, wet rocks, crisp peat smoke, mineral salts and fresh seafood. Superbly fresh and hyper clean, almost certainly dominated by pre-1974 Ledaig! Mouth: a little less impressive, coal smoke again, but it's overall a little flatter and with a slightly more papery feel to the smokiness. Damp bonfires, wet bark, salty porridge, fire embers and aspirin. A peated malt that feels like it has been blended with some unpeated in a funny way - not impossible when it comes to funny old bottlings from Tobermory distillery! Still, plenty nice seashore vibes and soft peaty notes. Finish: surprisingly long and back on tarry and salty combinations, some kinds of smoked porridge in the aftertaste. Comments: Serge wasn't a fan of this one on more than one occasion in Whiskyfun's distant past. I suspect this is probably one of the better batches, although it's technically a little uncertain on the palate. I find it very hard to disentangle this bottling from my memories of Inverary. Incidentally, if you are passing, I can strongly recommend the brilliant George Hotel, their food is top notch and the whisky bar and its lovely staff even better!
SGP: 455 - 84 points.

 

 

Ledaig 32 yo 1972/2005 (48.9%, Alambic Classique, cask #8721, oloroso sherry butt, 396 bottles)

Ledaig 32 yo 1972/2005 (48.9%, Alambic Classique, cask #8721, oloroso sherry butt, 396 bottles)
Speaking of the age of innocence... Colour: deep gold. Nose: peaty wellies wading through dense sherry! That's the vibe anyway. Quite a thick and stodgy feeling of sherry, which is not bad thing, with peat feeling rather soft and earthy behind that. There's also softer medicinal characteristics such as cough syrup, then heather honey, some very old Drambuie and gentle peppery notes. I'd add some Serrano ham, tarred rope and camphor into the bargain too. Mouth: camphor, mixed with herbal tonic wines and quite a few other herbal qualities, herbal teas, extracts, tinctures, ointments etc. Also bitter orange marmalade, hessian cloth, beef stock, old leather, bone marrow and iodine. A big tussle between the sherry and the peat, but in an entertaining way that involves pleasing integration. Has an elegant but balanced bitterness about it too, with bay leaf, green walnut and rancio aspects. Finish: long and much more on saltiness, nutty notes, cupboard spices, walnut wine, soy sauce, feelings of bakelite and plasticine and some salted liquorice and chewing tobacco. Comments: decidedly old style, you so rarely find whiskies that have this kind of character these days. Now, I don't think it's quite 90 point material purely due to these rather extreme characteristics, but it’s a bit of a technicality. I love this big, rugged, earthy old Ledaig.
SGP: 465 - 89 points.

 

 

Big thanks to Mr Phil T!

 

 

 

More tasting notesCheck the index of all Ledaig we've tasted so far

 

 

 
   

 

 

 

Whiskyfun's Home