Christmas Countdown 2020 #19: Ledaig 19 Year Sherry Cask Finish (1996)

Distillery: Tobermory

Region: Island.

Age: 19 Year. Distilled 1996. Bottled 2015.

ABV: 46.3%

Cask Type: Oloroso Sherry Casks

Price: $159

Color: 0.9, Amontillado Sherry.

This is the 19th installment of this years’ Christmas Countdown. You can see the entire 2020 series here or the 2019 edition here.

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Nose: It’s really heavy on the peat. The smoke is light with a bit of a maritime element to it, but the peat is quite strong (the wife would absolutely hate smelling this).

Palate: It’s quite savory. There’s a nice barbecue smoke with something similar to the flavor of burnt ends. It’s not quite meaty, but the more charred elements of the burnt end are there. On the earthier side of things for sure. With a little bit of water added, you get some fruity notes. There’s a bit of smoke and fruit with something that tastes like a smoked apple and grilled peaches.

Finish: Short and clean. It’s like incredibly fresh and clean spring water. There’s a hint of peat but it cleans itself nicely and doesn’t linger. After water, there’s is the tiniest bit of chocolate right at the end.

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Conclusion: The label on this bottle describes this whisky as “wonderfully peated” and I have to agree. It starts off with a nice wake up call. It’s almost like peat is oozing out of the glass with how strong it comes out when you smell it. When you take a sip though, things turn out to be a bit more balanced. You do get a nice earthy, charred bit of peat up front. It’s got a little bit of barbecue sweetness in it which is quite tasty. The fruity notes that come in after in the smoked apple and grilled peach is quite delicious. The finish is wonderful, it cleans up after itself and doesn’t leave any unwanted stragglers. The little bit of chocolate right at the end is a really nice touch and makes you want to go back for a little more. It’s quite good and I’m happy to have a bottle of it.

Final Score: 83.

Scotch Whisky Review #237, Island Review #37, Whisky Network Review #361

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Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.