Whisky : Ledaig 21 Year Manzanilla Cask Finish

Country/Region : Scotland/Islands

ABV : 52.9%

Cask : Refill Hogshead, Manzanilla Cask Finish

Nose : Smoked cheese, musty grapes, and a lacquered wooden cheese tray. Antique shop with dried lavender, rosewood oil, green coffee beans, vinyl or synthetic leather car seats, and briney olives.  

Palate : Lovely thickness to the body, oily with a pithy dryness on the back end.  Nutty— smoked nut butter, walnut oil, candied roasted cashews, pecans, and brazil nuts.  Savory notes of new leather boots, burning Autumn compost, tobacco pipe— or wood tip swisher sweet.  Barbecue/grill notes begin to come through on the back end— sweet caramelized sauce and honey glaze.

Finish : Nice lingering finish of caramelized sugars, grilled tropical fruits, and tannic dryness.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Campfire Cheeseboard

Something Better : Octomore 10.4 (similar leather car interior/barbecue, more resinous/meat)

Something Similar : Caol Ila 11Y SMWS 53.297 (similar smoked nuts, bbq, more maritime)

Something Similar : Ledaig 21Y; Chieftain’s (similar tobacco/wood, more fruit/brine)

Notes :  A blind tasting!  I do not do a whole lot of these, I prefer the complete experience of knowing what it is I have in my glass.  Branding, messaging, memories, expectations— all those are part of the experience of a whisky for better or worse.  However, sometimes it is fun to do a blind tasting and see what happens, even better if someone just forces (or gives me the opportunity) to do it.  I will not lie, I was way off in my guess.  With the smoke, salt, and slightly fruity funk I pegged this as a teenage Bowmore or Caol Ila— did not expect it to be a sherry finished Ledaig.

My ideal age for Ledaig seems to be about 10 Years.  This was not the first time I have run into a two decade old Ledaig that I have enjoyed drinking, but concluded that I would not ever buy.  Younger Ledaigs often have a cleanliness and sharpness to the funky/maritime profile that just seems to get too muddled in the older expressions for my taste.  Additionally, I felt like this Ledaig was a bit too cask driven with the Manzanilla finish contributing a lot to the nutty-tobacco-leather notes on the back of the palate.  Ledaig produces such beautiful malt, it feels like a shame to bury it under a sherry cask.  Though there are plenty of people who enjoy that and enjoy older Ledaigds, so your mileage may vary.

Overall I can see why these older wine finished Ledaig make for popular special editions, even if they are not my cup of tea.  I would happily accept a pour of this, even if I would not run out to buy a bottle.  If you love wine and Ledaig, this might be right up your alley.  Don’t let my love of younger ex-bourbon Ledaig sway you off the bottle if you have your heart set.