Whisky : Ledaig 21 Year; Ian Macleod’s “Chieftain’s” (K&L Wine Merchant Cask Selection)

Country/Region : Islands

ABV : 59.4%

Cask : Sherry Butt

Age : 21 Years (Distilled Sept. 1997, Bottled Aug. 2019)

Nose :  Opens up with dried ginger candies and a coal fed cast iron stove.  Faint smoke and metallic notes join with the maritime quality of a damp tar rope.  Bitter dried old tobacco and wood polish give the nose some additional complexity and spice.

Palate :  A burst of spicy tobacco and clove come through on a medium oily body.  It is a bit like smoking a Swisher Sweet next to a large saltwater fish tank.  Salty brine and vinegar carry forward with the sweetness of pickled okra or mango which slowly transforms into overripe stone fruits and pineapple.  The fruit and maritime notes wrap around each other as if this were a seawater fruit punch.

Finish :  Lingering overripe pineapple and green banana with a bit of honey sweetness.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Swisher Sweet on a tropical night.

Something Better : Longrow 15 Year Chardonnay (more grilled fruit, no maritime, longer finish)

Something Similar : Paul John Peated Select (similar tobacco/spice, less tropical fruit— more citrus) 

Something Worse : Highland Park 18 Year (similar marine/tobacco/leather notes, less body)

Notes :  This dram had its moments, the finish was especially nice, but overall this felt like a bit of a miss.    As with many of the K&L Chieftain’s exclusives, this Ledaig is priced pretty competitively, so even though it was not quite my cup of tea, I would still be pretty tempted to grab a bottle.  There was enough good things going on in the glass, that I could see myself occasionally in the mood to reach for the bottle.  This was one of those drams that was so close to being really good, but something was missing or just did not quite come together in the right way.

After 21 years in the cask, the peat influence on this Ledaig is quite subtle and shines primarily in the tobacco notes on the palate.  While I am usually a fan of rich sweet tobacco— this one was far more dry and spicy.  Though I have fond memories of dragging a Swisher Sweet at night with friends after a long day at work, it just does not quite work with the salty brine notes that follow.  The more I write this, the more I want to pour another dram and dive back in.  

There are enough interesting flavor notes here to keep my attention and I remain a fan of what Tobermory Distillery has done with their Ledaig range over the years.  This dram just didn't quite come together for me.