If the Ledaig 10 is Tobermory's peated punk, the 18 is its professor — the same fundamental character, refined by an extra eight years in wood and finished in Spanish sherry casks. The whisky won The Whisky Exchange's Whisky of the Year for 2023, and on tasting, the honour is well deserved.
The maturation begins in bourbon casks before the whisky is transferred to Spanish sherry wood for finishing. At eighteen years, the peat has softened and integrated with the sherry influence, producing a whisky of remarkable balance — smoky without being aggressive, sherried without being cloying, and complex in a way that only long maturation can achieve. Bottled at 46.3%.
The nose layers phenols, seaweed, and light creosote over dried chilli flakes, spicy black pepper, and hints of sweet oakiness. The palate is powerful and rich — sherried, herbal, smoky, with orange peel, coffee, sea salt, tobacco, and white pepper all competing for attention. The sherry finish adds red dried fruits, crispy berries, and vanilla that complement rather than compete with the peat.
The finish is long, with smoke, salt, and spice fading slowly into sherried sweetness. At its price point, the Ledaig 18 is one of the finest peated island whiskies available — better, in many ways, than the Islay equivalents that command significantly higher prices. Mull's smoky secret is out.
