Scotch Whisky Review #265: Archives Butterflies from the USA Ledaig 10 Year (2008)

Distillery: Tobermory

Bottler: Archives

Region: Island

Age: 10 Year. Distilled on February 2nd, 2008. Bottled on October 30th, 2018.

Cask Type: Hogshead

Cask Number: 700001

ABV: 54.90% Cask Strength

Color: 0.1, White Wine. Natural Color and Non-Chill Filtered.

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Nose: Light smokey peat. It’s slightly sweet and savory. I’m reminded of a smoked whitefish dip I had once. Smoked sugar and the smell of burning orange wood wrap this up.

Palate: At full strength, it’s very much drinkable but also a tad closed off. The only thing I get is note of smoked malt. With some water, it does open up a bit but I wasn’t able to quite get this to really unravel. I get a smoked fish dip again. There’s a bit of Stevia with the a cooling factor. A bit of mineral water pops in as well.

Finish: Incredibly, incredibly long. There’s a mix of sugary sweet green fruits up front in the form of muscat grapes, a bit of maesil, and some green apples to boot. There’s a little bit of smoke that remains on the tongue afterwards, though there’s a lot more of it in your breath (at least according to the wife). A slightly savory note and umami note comes through which reminds me of white soy sauce and bonito flakes. Vanilla icing pops in at the very end, before it all clears up.

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Conclusion: A few days ago, /u/b1uepenguin (his website here) mentioned that this Ledaig bottling by Archives was his favorite from the distillery. Having had some, I have to say I absolutely agree. The nose and palate are nice, though a tad simplistic, with smoked fish dip and some sugar. The finish though, is perhaps one of the best I’ve ever had. Starting with the sweet orchard fruits and ending with the savory and umami notes, each sip seemingly left behind more and more flavor. Absolutely delicious. I just wish I had a little more to see if there really isn’t more in the palate to unearth!

Final Score: 88.

Scotch Whisky Review #265, Island Review #43, Whisky Network Review #407

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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.