Ledaig 12 Year (1992), Beinn A' Cheò Cask 117
Whisky: Ledaig 12 Year (1992), Beinn A' Cheò Cask 117
Country/Region: Scotland/Islands
ABV: 59.1%
Cask: Oak
Age: 12 Years (Distilled March 1992, Bottled April 2004)
Nose: Roasted grains and maritime brine, swimming pool chemicals, metallic, machine grease, dunnage and musty, subtle pears.
Palate: Medium-bodied with punchy camphor and brine, machine grease and dirty garage, metallic, raw oysters, citrus, garden clippers, touch of mint and almost cream toward the end.
Finish: Long and lingering with cracked pepper, garden gloves, and herbs.
Score: 7+ (86)
Mental Image: Snack Buffet in the Pool Pump Room
Narrative & Notes: Puffed rice, shrimp chips, and roasted barley tea by the swimming pool— the aroma was soft and slightly funky with roasty notes and swimming pool chemicals drifting together. More metallic notions arrived with machine grease and old pewter army men. Dunnage, musty herbs, unfinished basements, and swimming pool pumps lingered further in with fruitier notions of pears enjoyed in secret hiding places. Medium-bodied, the flavor profile was punchy and musty with herbal camphor and an oceanic brine. Metallic and industrial with machine grease, dirty concrete garage floors, and pewter army men that slowly shifted toward garden clippers and grass. A touch raw at times, oysters and citrus popped for a slightly creamy-salt ending. The finish was long and slightly sweet with cracked pepper, garden gloves, salt, and a touch of cream.
A touch raw and unrefined, punchy at first, but mellower with time after two decades in the bottle. I love the wild and unexpected whiskies produced during the early 90s at Ledaig. Prior to 1996, and a clear differentiation between the production regimes and lines of Tobermory and Ledaig, there were some fascinating variations that were tried, or somehow survived. This bottle dates from the brief operational period from 1989 to 1993 before Burns Stewart bought the distillery and renamed it Tobermory. Unlike the transitional years from 1993 to 1995, or the earlier brief reopening of the distillery from 1972-1975, which have cult status among some whisky drinkers, I had never heard anyone mention or say much about this era— it is about as unloved and anonymous as the brief early 80s period.
This was a delight— an inexpensive auction win that provided a window into a fascinating period in the distillery’s history. Several friends I shared it with thought it had something in common with some of the funkier qualities of Fettercairn and rated it highly.
