“Mull’s Finest” (Ledaig) 8 Year (2014) Murray McDavid Mystery Malt

Scotch Whisky Review : “Mull’s Finest” (Ledaig) 8 Year (2014) Murray McDavid Mystery Malt

Distillery: “Mull’s Finest” (Ledaig).

Bottler: Murray McDavid.

Region: Island.

Age: 8 year. Distilled in 2014 and bottled in 2023.

Cask Type: Koval Bourbon Cask Finish.

ABV: 56.2%.

Color: 0.4, Jounquil / Ripe Corn.

Nose: It’s actually pretty hard to nose this. The alcohol really punches you in the nose as you go for a sniff. When you aren’t getting a sharp burn though, there’s a nice bit of coastal peat going on. It is a low level smoke so just enough to be noticeable but nothing overpowering.

Palate: Thankfully it burns far less than the nose does but it certainly needs to be calmed down with water. You get a pretty simply mix of lemon, peat, and a bit of coastal character with some salty seabreeze-y notes. There’s nothing particularly fancy here but it is tasty enough when you get the heat under control.

Finish: Medium in length. A bit of a “dirty” finish with soot and oil being pretty prominent. A little bit of waxy lemon rind wraps things up.

Conclusion: Whenever I see one of these “mystery” bottlings where it is absolutely blatantly obvious where the whisky is from, I can’t help but chuckle a little bit. “Mull’s Finest” is one of my favorites though so I was hopeful when this popped up at a local store. Murray McDavid highlights the use of Koval bourbon casks here but I legitimately don’t know what they might have contributed. This seems to be a pretty naked take on Mull’s Finest peated whisky, albeit a bit on the younger side. You get a nice coastal peaty character here though it lacks for complexity and is a bit firey. Nothing overly exciting, something that will probably make for fun blinds for people but overall it’s pretty average.

Rating: 75.

Scotch Whisky Review , Island Review , Whisky Network Review

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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