Ledaig 25 Year (1995), SMWS 42.73 "Quiet confidence"
Whisky: Ledaig 25 Year (1995), SMWS 42.73 "Quiet confidence"
Country/Region: Scotland/Islands
ABV: 49.7%
Cask: First Fill Bourbon Hogshead
Age: 25 Year (Distilled 22 Nov. 1995)
Nose: Soft tropical fruits and wax with a sweet coastal salinity, dried candied mango chunks, pineapple Dole Whip, macadamia nuts and vanilla, paraffin wax, hints of coconut and charred driftwood; very subtle notions of sandalwood and tobacco with hibiscus in the background.
Palate: Medium-bodied and very oily, dried tropical fruits, driftwood, maritime and coastal with brine and minerals, mellow dried grass and tobacco, a touch of bitter oak toward the back, dole whip, waxier with time and more tropical with kiwi, mango, and coconut, musty florals and plumeria with a touch of earth at the end.
Finish: Long and lingering with dried tropical fruits, earth, and tea.
Score: 9
Mental Image: Meditations on a Sea of Islands
Narrative & Notes: Sublime. I adore this bottle. The flavors bear more in common with some of the unpeated Ledaig that have emerged from these early nineties vintages, and perhaps this is one of those, though the date seems a bit off. At any rate, SMWS notes that the cask said Ledaig, so that is about as sure as we can be. The whole period from 1993 to 1995 was one of flux at a distillery not unfamiliar with changes big and small— never forget the distillery was used to mature cheese while shuttered at one point.
I am biased— I own this bottle, and it was one of the most expensive I have purchased. When you spend money on something, you are bound to want to love it, and you may be more willing to overlook flaws here and there. So not only do I want to love this, but the bottle also has additional special meaning for me. Sometimes, we imbue bottles with meaning beyond what the distillery or bottler had in mind— a bottle to mark a birthday, a retirement, or any occasion can endow the bottle with an importance beyond the label and heighten the experience.
This was a wonderful mix of soft tropical vibes, a mellow coastal salinity, and delicious accents of earth and nuts. There were so many layers to pick through; it was like peeling an onion back or a Russian doll; there always seemed to be more, just a little bit deeper in. From coastal cruising to walks in a tropical botanical garden, I enjoyed the well-structured flavors and viscous oily quality of the mouthfeel, which gradually built up to a lovely waxiness. There were hints of an herbal or earthy bitterness toward the back end of the palate. While I thought they complimented the tropical fruits and garden notes, I can understand how someone sensitive to bitterness might find them a disappointing finale.
Overall, beautiful.
