Today’s review of the Ledaig 10 year old wraps up the series on entry-level peated single malt. Produced by Tobermory Distillery on the Isle of Mull, this whisky is a favourite Best Value pick of many whisky fans. Will this fan favourite shine as a value gem among the other peated drams I tried in the past couple of weeks?
TL:DR: A good whisky, but too quiet to shine,. Could it be a matter of batch variation?
Vote: 6*, Good stuff
Ledaig or Tobermory?
Let’s start with the name. The use of Ledaig for whisky made on Mull is steeped in tradition. But it is not as simple as what Springbank did revamping a lost distillery by using the Longrow name for one of its product lines, as I explained in my previous post. In this case, things are slightly more convoluted.
The same Distillery itself has been called Tobermory or Ledaig at different times. And while the Tobermory name adorns the distillery today, and the unpeated malt produced, it is the Ledaig peated line that makes up the larger share of the output. This was not always the case. Wikipedia still mentions that the peated Ledaig is produced “in small quantities” as does a 2008 distilleries guidebook I bought while I was living in Scotland. Who knows, will the distillery name revert to Ledaig one day?
By popular consensus
Before getting into the review of this Ledaig 10, let’s just spend a moment on the kudos this whisky has received. And I mean from drinkers, not through industry prizes. Ledaig 10 has been a finalist in the last two editions of the OSWAs in the Best Value Category. It was Ralfy’s whisky of the year for 2022 (video link at the end of this page). On top of this, a quick search on YouTube will bring up many positive reviews for the Ledaig 10. The only slight critique I had come across was a Dramface article comparing two different batches, with very contrasting results between the two… could that be an omen?
Ledaig 10 years old
Specs
Price paid: 50€
Lot/bottled date: L5 1802 22193
ABV: 46.3%
Natural colour: Yes. (Not stated on the bottle but on the website)
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Casks Used: Ex-Bourbon casks exclusively
Tasting Notes
Colour: Quite pale, like an unoaked white wine.
Nose: At first I got very little, so much so that I poured another dram just to make sure my nose was working fine. No issue with the control dram, so not a “me” problem. To get anything beyond the initial seaside and peat aromas, I really had to stick my nose into the glass.
The first impression is like smelling a pebbly beach during a storm, while someone has lit a fire with driftwood nearby. There is a faint lactic/fruity note that reminds me of a berry yoghurt and some vanilla, but that’s it. Leaving the dram to breathe for over an hour I finally get a sweeter fruitier nose. There’s powdered sugar, caramel and some ripe apples and yellow fruit.
With a bit more intensity the nose of this Ledaig 10 could be fantastic, as it is, it leaves me wanting more.
Taste: The mouthfeel is slightly oily and pleasantly velvety. The peat is significantly amped up, revealing a woody and predominantly medicinal character. Tobermory supposedly uses Port Ellen malt from Islay, and the taste seems to point in that direction. Following the peat, there are malt and bourbon cask notes – porridge, clean laundry and some vanilla. It is a bit hot and peppery towards the back of the tongue.
Finish: Slightly short and quite simple. The finish is dominated by peat notes, medicinal and ashy, with a little oak dryness, some vanilla and powdered sugar.
Vote*: 6 Good stuff. This is not a badly made whisky by any means. It’s a nice sipper but it is as if someone had dialled the volume down to 3. Some hints suggest there could be a lot more there and I am left wondering if I grabbed a less-than-stellar batch, considering all the love this gets.
* Votes are based on the scoring scale used by Dramface, slightly modified to allow half-points
Closing thoughts
Picking a vote for this Ledaig 10 was tough. Expectations were high and ended up being unmet. The temptation to go lower was there. And yet, objectively, this is not a bad or even just average. There is a solid foundation. The peaty maritime character with the added lactic touch on the nose is captivating. It is by no means thin or diluted on the palate. It’s just that it has a lot of unrealised potential. But I have to admit that I seem to have a patchy relationship with CVH’s (formerly Distell’s) single malts.
I loved the Bunnahabhain 12 but was underwhelmed by the Deanston 12. This Ledaig 10 lands in the middle, but I expected so much more. And it is not because of the popular plaudits alone. I have tried the Ledaig Rioja cask finish and the 18 year old and both are very good drams. Both pack intense flavours, that were lacking here. So I should be expecting more.
As I had remarked in my Deanston 12 review, I suspect batch variation might be the potential culprit. Finding Dramface’s article reviewing two batches of the Ledaig 10 side by side with very different results is another strong hint that indeed,varying batch quality might come into play. So maybe it isn’t me who has a patchy relationship with CVH’s products, maybe it is CVH who occasionally has a patchy relationship with their own batches.
Would I buy it again?
You could say, in all fairness, that I was disappointed by this Ledaig 10 batch. Yet I am looking to buy another bottle, but from a different batch for sure. You could say I am bowing to peer pressure, but I see it as giving a crowd favourite a second chance. At times I can try a whisky and like it more or less than others. But reading the tasting notes I am usually able to see that the different opinion come down to a matter of personal preference. Here I feel like I am drinking a different whisky, and it makes me want to try “THE” LEdaig 10 that everyone seems to love.
For once I won’t ask if I would offer this to a new whisky drinker, as there is a chance I wouldn’t be putting Ledaig 10 in the best light with this batch.
I always find it interesting, after writing my tasting notes, to look at other opinions. In this case even more than usual, as it helps me realise how big the differences seem to be between what I had and what others are reviewing. Here are a few other reviews of the Ledaig 10 I enjoyed:
Dramface – Ledaig 10 vs Ledaig 10
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