New releases ... Ledaig 10 years old

This is a sneak preview! A new release that is coming soon (in May sometime). We had a sample sent to the shop and I had to try. This new Ledaig (pronounced ley-chuck) 10 years old will be replacing the Ledaig Original that is currently available. This Ledaig Original is priced around £16 and offers good value for that money, however the new one has been re-branded and will be priced around £10 higher. Ledaig is not a distillery itself but is produced by Tobermory, the only distillery on the island of Mull which lies just off the west Highland coast. Tobermory is unpeated but they name their peated, smoky whiskies as Ledaig, which is the old name of the distillery.

The colour is very light and the nose has a lot of perfume. It is a mix of a slight fake meaty smokiness (reminding me of smoky bacon crisps) and damp wet moss and earth. There was something slightly unpleasant and musty in there, but I'm not quite sure what. It is more pleasant on the palate with lots of sweet smokiness (think of pipe tobacco smoke) combined with a fresh vegetal, grassy flavour. This contrasts the meatiness that is present on the nose. However, there is a hint of something acrid, like burnt sugar, in there also. The finish is short and not very complex for a smoky whisky. I have to be honest and say that I was slightly disappointed by this new release. I am not sure about how well it will stand up against other smoky whiskies that will be in the same £25-30 price bracket (ie - Ardbeg 10 years old, Laphroaig 10 years old and Bowmore 12 years old).