Whisky : Ledaig 11 Year; The Whisky Barrel

Country/Region : Scotland/Islands

ABV : 54.6%

Cask : First Fill Oloroso Sherry Hogshead

Age : 11 Years (Distilled Feb. 2008, Bottled 2019)

Nose : Maritime seafood grill, smokey grilled sausage, grilled unagi, crackling wintertime fireplace, and a mug of coffee on a shrimp boat.  Loads of meaty maritime notes along with salty smoked gouda, fruit preserves, and medicinal cherry flavored cough syrup.

Palate :  Iodine, mineral, metallic, and fruity.  Roasted fruits and meats— a pineapple pork sausage, crab salad, dark roast coffee, sweet tocino or teriyaki barbecue.  The wife reckoned the mineral/iodine notes reminded her of charred seashells in a beach bonfire.

Finish :  Medium length cinnamon and smoked chocolate.

Score : 6

Mental Image :  Sweet Meat & Yakiniku.

Something Better : Bunnahabhain“Staoisha” 6Y TWB (more intense maritime meaty flavors, less mineral)

Something Better : Ledaig 13 Year SMoS (similar maritime grill, more fruit, more herbal notes)

Something Similar : Longmorn 15Y SMWS 7.226 (similar sweet teriyaki, more fruits/pastries) 

Notes : This Ledaig had an absolutely killer nose, but the overall flavor profile was a bit too sweet for me.  The First-fill Oloroso cask was like a hammer on the Ledaig malt and not enough of the subtle funky maritime notes managed to shine through.  There were only a few peeks of lovely meat and seawater as they sank under the Oloroso wave.  The wife rated this pretty highly the first time she had it, but the second time she scored it “a weak Laphroaig.”  If I translated correctly, that is not a disastrous score, but not a ringing endorsement.  I think for the price this TWB represents a good value— if my score seems low it could merely be the product of my high expectations for Ledaig.  This malt was young, bold, and cask dominated, but that probably appeals to some people.  I did not think water really helped, a few drops gave the dram some creaminess, but otherwise accentuated some of the sweeter Oloroso notes at the cost of muting a lot of the complexity.  Overall, I would happily accept a pour of this, I would even be tempted to buy it, but there are other Ledaig I prefer more.