Whisky : Ledaig 13 Year SMWS 42.45 “Cocktails on a tugboat”

Country/Region : Scotland/Islands

ABV : 62.%

Cask : 2nd Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel

Age : 13 Years (Distilled 3 March 2005)

Nose : Seaside stroll: salty spray, tar sand, and a beach with sun soaked rotting old boat.  There are bits of creamy or funky soft cheese along with some faintly fruity lemon and melon maybe a bit of dried lemon peel.  A bit of ammonia brings to mind Windex and household cleaning.  Another review opined it had the scent of “regret and dead dreams.”

Palate : Salty— pinch of sea salt, a Himalayan salt lamp, and the sun dried salt ponds of Hanapepe.  Blending well with the salt are metallic and mineral notes— salty penny, oxidized and bluish green with age.  A bag of roasted salty nuts and a hint of orange.  

Finish : Medium to long finish of cocoa and tobacco with just a hint of the salt that had been so dominant on the nose and palate.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Patina Penny — Or, Licking the Statue of Liberty

Something Better : Caol Ila 9 Year; Elixir Distillers (similar coastal and citrus, more complexity, thicker body)

Something Similar : Ledaig 11 Year; The Exclusive Malts (same coastal intensity, more funk on nose)

Something Worse : Ardbeg 10 (similar coast/citrus, more bonfire, lighter body, less complex finish)

Notes : Salty funky cheese rinds rolling through my dreams.  This Ledaig has all of the classic Ledaig almost cheesy funk that I love so much: tons of coastal influence, bits of sharpe cheese, and a spritz of lemon.  The dram had a bit more minerality than I have usually come across in Ledaig which gave some of the coastal notes an almost copper edge.  It might be like biting a penny you just found in the ocean, or maybe licking the statue of liberty.  This was a delightful dram and just further proof of how consistently good Ledaig can be for fans of the funk or heady maritime notes.

I may have accidentally referred to this dram as ‘Tugtails on a Cockboat’ at least a few times.