Super Value Ledaig's

Jim Murray routinely derides it, others adore it. Many have never heard of it. Even peat freaks don't always talk about Ledaig in a positive light: “It smells of manure and tastes of wet dog”. Sometimes that may be true, but its peaty-earthy-barnyard notes combined with a whiff of the coast convey a sense of place and set it apart from most other Hebridean malts. They're primarily what Ledaig is all about. Made at Tobermory to a 38ppm phenol specification and pronounced letch-igg, (meaning ‘safe haven’), the distillery has been closed for almost half of its 220+ year history, repeatedly recovering from the brink of demolition. Three or four decades ago, its malts were variable to say the least- often feinty, rubbery or just plain average. Burn Stewart dramatically improved the quality through the 1990s while keeping true to Ledaig’s funky style. In 2013, new owners, Distell International decided to up the bottling strength to 46.3% abv, use no artificial colouring and not chill filter the whisky. If production numbers are anything to go by, they must be doing a lot right. There used to be a 50/50 split between unpeated Tobermory and peated Ledaig. Starting in 2022, Ledaig was increased to 70% and it's expected to dominate into the forseeable future. You can taste the results in NAS bottlings like ‘The Sinclair’, but for many, the high point of Ledaig’s gritty, meaty, elemental output remains the 18YO, first offered in 2015.