Origin: Isle of Mull (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 54.8%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-Bourbon
Chillfiltered: No
Added colouring: No
Owner: Morisco Spirits
Price: € 129.00 on Morisco Spirits
Official website: moriscospirits.com
Vote: 88/100
Shortly after trying the extraordinary Laphroaig, I return to the Stillness series of the Marche-based bottler who takes us to another island, Mull, with the ‘stinky’ version of the whisky produced by Tobermory.
120 bottles for this single cask that displays on the label an aerial view photo of Oban, from where the ferries to the island depart.
Tasting notes
On the nose, the peat is less aggressive and mephitic than (generally) found in a Ledaig, presenting itself in a very coastal guise with oysters, wet rocks, pickled olives, soy sauce, dried orange and burnt pine wood. A pungent, mineral side tends to emerge more strongly over time, with a mix of almonds and pecans thrown into the mix.
On the palate, the mineral part comes back strongly in cahoots with a smoky, maritime forest soul, with intrusions of cinchona, soy sauce, buckets of brine, a dusting of black pepper and ginger and grilled seafood. Coffee, salted chocolate and caramel, sweet liquorice and nuts complete the picture, very dense and full. Strength, as well as on the nose, perfect.
The finish is long and richly saline, tending more towards sweet, with nuts, sugar paste, smoke and tangerine peel.
A well-balanced and elegant Ledaig… no, okay, not elegant at all, but definitely less boisterous and anarchic than usual, with roughness and excesses brought into line by an energetic cask that has managed to make it straighter and tidier. But not too much: it’s still a Ledaig.
A really good one.