Ledaig 12 Year (2008) Cask 912-914 Marsala Finish — Whiskery Turnip

Feb 10

Feb 10 Ledaig 12 Year (2008) Cask 912-914 Marsala Finish

Whiskery Turnip

Scotch

Whisky: Ledaig 12 Year (2008) Cask 912-914 Marsala Finish

Country/Region: Scotland/Islands

ABV: 58.1%

Cask: Marsala Finish

Age: 12 Years (Distilled 29 Jan. 2008, Bottled 14 Nov. 2020)

Nose: Dirty and industrial, maritime, fruit syrups, honey, smoked fish, hints of cheese rind.

Palate: Medium-bodied, fruity and sweet, maritime brine, herbs, dirtier late on with tires and fish smoking shacks.

Finish: Medium-length with sweet smoke and cured seafood.

Score: 7 (84)

Mental Image: Derelict Fish Smoker Rave Spot

Narrative & Notes: Old tires and driftwood littered the beach as the aroma drew attention to pomegranate, date, and fruit syrups over honey-drenched pastries. Coastal brine and dirty industrial notions carried on with fruits while meatier impressions of smoked fish lingered in the background with salty hard cheese rind. Medium-bodied on the palate with a delightfully sweet and fruity arrival that transitioned into dirty brine, herbs, and smoked fish by the end. Chilis, pomegranates, and mangos danced with roasted peppers, tarragon, fennel, and a refreshing kiss of mint. Dirtier notions lingered in the background with hints of old tires on the beach and a hot smoke shack loaded with fish. The finish was medium-length with sweet smoke cured seafood.

When the wife has a particularly long day at work, she enjoys using a little whisky tasting to forget about the stress of the day and move on to a more relaxing evening. She had a handful of favorite distilleries, so when she said she was in the mood for a tasting, I let her loose on the sample queue knowing that an Ardbeg or Ledaig was sure to appear. She reckoned that she chose well with this dram. She found it sweet and fruity than I did as she encountered more of the industrial and dirty notions upfront.

Overall, this was about as classic Ledaig as you can get with plenty of sweet wine accentuating some of the latent fruity aspects of the spirit. The coastal brine and hints of funkier, industrial notions were not hard to find.