Whisky : Ledaig 16 Year;  Gordon & MacPhail “Connoisseurs Choice”

Country/Region : Scotland/Islands

ABV : 46%

Cask : Refill Sherry

Age : 16 Years (Bottled 2015)

Nose :  Sweet, meat, and maritime notes come together wonderfully.  Layers of sweet maritime smoke and cool damp sand give way to dried raisins and a meaty beef stew.  The aroma reminds me strongly of beef bourguignon— rich, meaty, and drowning in red wine.  There is a lot to love on the nose with characteristic Ledaig maritime salt and stone giving a lovely backbone to some of the meatier notes.

Palate :  Mild and mellow, the dram is medium bodied and smooth.  There is a notable campfire or match-head smoke that ties it together with mineral oil, a faint soft cheese, and caramelized onions.

Finish : Medium to short finish with smokey fruit punch.

Score : 4

Mental Image : Day old dirty pot of beef stew.

Something Better : Laphroaig PX Cask (similar campfire/maritime, more meat/fruit/complexity)

Something Similar : Nikka Yoichi NAS (similar maritime/caramelized onion/mineral, longer finish)

Something Similar : Compass Box No Name 1st Ed. (similar seashore/sand, more medicinal/spice)

Notes : I think of smooth as a term to describe a dram in which the mouthfeel of the whisky is light and with little to no viscosity.  I think of mellow as relating to the lack of intense flavor notes; a mellow dram being one in which most of the flavor notes fall closely together and nothing really jumps out.  Calling this dram ‘mild and mellow’ or ‘smooth’ could be decoded to mean: this dram feels held back by its lower abv.  It drinks very well and there are some classic Ledaig flavor notes present, but those flavors are a bit weak and consequently the finish fades way too quickly.  The nose has some nice flavor notes, but the palate feels a bit simple and washed out.  I think this is a nice step up from the standard 10 year, but that it is not quite as impressive as some of the cask strength independently bottled expressions out there.

This dram is a good stepping stone for someone who may have had the official distillery expressions of Ledaig and would like to try something new.  It would also work really well for someone who has never had Ledaig but wants to see what is going on with the distillery.  The dram is more complex than the core 10 year, but not so overpowering that it might intimidate a new whisky drinker.  Otherwise, I think this dram would be excellent for an evening when you really just need something mellow to take the edge of the day— an evening when you do not need something cask strength or complicated.