Weekend Briefs Oct. 2022: A Coastal Trio with Ledaig and Lochindaal
A round-up of brief reviews from a recent weekend when I booked a peaty ticket to Tobermory— with a quick pitstop on Islay. Ledaig is an absolute favorite in my household and quietly supplanted Ardbeg as my wife's whisky bias a couple of years back. It will be no surprise that I rated all of the following whiskies highly.
I love a good coastal dram whose maritime DNA clamors from the glass the second you pour it. My wife loves even more aggressive whiskies and once claimed that a good whisky should give your taste buds a friendly punch with the first sip (an opinion she shares on coffee). We have both broadened our horizons over the years and enjoy a variety of drams, but when left to our own devices, on any given day, we will reach for something salty and perhaps a bit smokey when it is time for a dram.
Ledaig is a great place to look for salt and, occasionally, bonfire smoke. My favorite Ledaigs have a beautiful funk that always reminds me of a cheese cave and the slightly sweet-sour, musty, lactic aroma that permeates everything. That funk is not always present, and I have never found it to be anything quite so extreme as the baby-vomit lactic side of some Bruichladdich malts. The coastal qualities, the funk, and the occasional smoke off a driftwood bonfire are why we love Ledaig.
With expectations properly set, on to the reviews!
Whisky Details: Ledaig 14 Year (2007) Refill Hogshead 58.4%, SMWS 42.75 “Coastal Convolutions”
Nose: Coastal, seaweed, brine, smoked kelp, smoked gouda, parmesan rind, tinned fish, kippers.
Palate: Medium-bodied with sharp brine, tide pools, cheese rind, old bonfire pit, smoked kippers, sandy minerality, tea, kelp.
Finish: Lingering note of salt with dried grass, tea, and mint.
Score: 7+
Commentary: A classic Ledaig loaded with fabulous coastal notes and a bit of cheesy funk. I thought this was an excellent no-frills attached Ledaig experience and the kind of bottle bound to mellow out with more citrus and more rounded notes of the sea. I adored the occasional hit of funky cheese cave and meaty smoked fish, which combined beautifully with subtle burnt driftwood, kelp, and tea. I passed on the chance to grab this bottle after being slightly disappointed in a previous SMWS Ledaig. This was what I wanted as it came close to my Platonic ideal for Ledaig.
Overall, assertive, feisty, and delicious.
Whisky Details: Lochindaal 10 Year (2010), FF Bourbon Barrel 60.2%, Berry Bros & Rudd
Nose: Sand dunes, tar, and barnyard funk, dried grass, distant burning buffalo chips, hint of salt, crushed blood orange, overripe tropical fruit, hints of tropical florals.
Palate: Medium-bodied, sand dunes, dried grass, pipe tobacco, hints of sandalwood and musty banyan, blood orange, subtle smoked vanilla, a bit of spirited prickle, earthy ginger, tar, minerality, and a kiss of salt.
Finish: Long and lingering with hints of cream, orange, vanilla, and acrid fresh asphalt.
Score: 7-8
Commentary: Bruichladdich loves to experiment, and at least twice, they distilled batches of Lochindaal, a spirit falling between Port Charlotte and Octomore in terms of peat and distillate cuts. There are very few official bottlings of the malt; Beam-Suntory owns the trademark for Lochindaal. Most of the casks were sold off to independent bottlers, individuals, and brokers, and ever since the spirit hit a decade, there have been regular releases from around the whisky world.
I love Lochindaal and wish Bruichladdich produced more of this malt. Though this is my first Lochindaal review, I have purchased several from independent bottlers and adore them— so much that I never got around to typing up a review. This one was a tad more acrid than the others I have tasted, though they have all inhabited a similar flavor zone. The asphalt and earthy ginger stood out and lingered toward the end in a way that vaguely reminded me of Laphroaig— though the aroma and initial, slightly barnyard notes were all classic Bruichladdich.
Whisky Details: Ledaig 10 Year (2008), Hogshead 54.9%, Whiskybase Archives "The Fishes of Samoa"
Nose: Meaty, maritime, and funky pool chemicals; salty Parma ham, hard cheese rind, charcoal, crab shells on the grill, lemon and butter, maritime brine and herbs, subtle pool chemicals and cleaning solutions.
Palate: Medium-bodied, pepper, sea salt, citrus, rind, shiso leaf, lemon peel, herbal smoke, salty-mineral beach sand, toasted bread, mellow creamy funk, grilled mussels and crab shells, medicinal and sweet toward the end like a Ricola, sweet roasted peppers and brine.
Finish: Long and lingering with grilled maritime meat, butter, lemon, and pepper.
Score: 8
Commentary: I love this bottle. It has been a prized possession since a friend gifted it to me during a Christmas whisky swap. They were not quite sure what samples to send my way, so they opted for a full bottle they thought might be up my alley. They were 100% correct. My wife treasures the bottle even more than I do, and it has been a dependable pour— something you turn to after a long day or break out to pour for close friends. The bottle is almost gone, so while most of these brief reviews are things I have only written up notes for once, I have started to review this many times but never quite finished up the work. So here goes— an utterly pure example of what makes Ledaig great: citrusy, maritime, and funky.
