Ledaig 10 Review

Ledaig is pronounced something like “led-chig”, and the name belongs to a peated whisky made at a distillery that usually makes the opposite. Tobermory, on the Isle of Mull, makes an unpeated malt under its own name. When it wants smoke, the same distillery makes Ledaig.

That’s a neat trick, and it makes the 10 Year Old a useful bottle for seeing how much difference peat makes.

Two whiskies, one distillery

The distillery is in the colourful harbour town of Tobermory, on Mull in the Inner Hebrides. It was founded in 1798, and has been closed and reopened more than once. It was shut for refurbishment in 2017 and started up again in 2019. It’s owned by the Distell group, which has since become part of Heineken.

The Ledaig 10 is bottled at 46.3%, without chill-filtering, and matured in ex-bourbon casks. The peaty character is strong, but described as rougher and more savoury than the Islay style. The unpeated version is simply called Tobermory.

My peat caveat

I’m not a heavy-peat person, and Ledaig is a properly smoky whisky. I can enjoy light smoke and I’d like to be fair to a bottle that’s built on it. A whisky can be well made without being the thing I’d pour on a quiet night.

Trying it

I tried this neat. I knew it’s peated and a bit rough, so I braced myself. The smoke hits straight away, and it doesn’t let go.

Nose: Peat smoke and sea air, with citrus and a faint rubbery note. It smells rough and savoury, like a harbour on a damp day.

Palate: The smoke hits first, hard, with sweetness following behind. Salt, pepper and malt are in there too. It’s rougher than the Islay malts, with an earthy, rubbery edge. It’s distinctive and well made for what it is, but it’s too much smoke for me.

Finish: Long, smoky and slightly salty. The smoke hangs on for a very long time. A drop of water softened it slightly.

Ledaig and Tobermory side by side

If you can get both, the best test is to pour the Tobermory 12 and the Ledaig 10 next to each other. Same distillery, same still, different barley. It’s one of the clearest demonstrations of what peat does.

Other options

Bowmore 12 and Caol Ila 12 are Islay peaty malts at a similar price. Talisker 10 is peppery and smoky. Highland Park 12 is much gentler. Ledaig is rougher than most.

Value

A 70 cl bottle usually costs about £40 in the UK. At 46.3% and unchilled, that’s fair for a peated malt.

At 46.3% with no chill-filtering, it’s often seen as good value for a peated malt. Prices differ by country.

Who it is for

It’s for people who like peat, want a bottle that’s a bit different from Islay, and don’t mind it being rough around the edges. It’s not for beginners or for people who dislike smoke.

The unpleasant part

I’ll be honest about the thing I didn’t like. There’s a rubbery note in the smoke that I couldn’t get past. It made the whisky taste rough to me, and it stayed on my tongue for a long time. Some people call that character, and I call it hard work.

For the peat fans

I’m sure there are people who would love it. If you like rough, savoury, smoky whisky, this is a good one at a fair price. I tried hard to be fair, and I still couldn’t enjoy it.

It’s the clearest case I’ve had of a whisky being well made and not for me. I’d give the bottle away and not feel any loss.

A word of fairness

I don’t want to be too harsh on a whisky that does exactly what it intends to do. Ledaig is rough and smoky by design, and it has its fans. It’s hard for me to enjoy, but I can see it has a place in the world.

If you like heavy, savoury, smoky whisky, you could do much worse at this price. For everyone else, it’s a bottle to try once in a bar, and not to buy.

Verdict

No. It’s good for people who like rough, smoky malts. I’d give it to a friend who does.