Ledaig 23yo

A powerful, uncompromising bottling of the lovely peated single malt from the Isle of Mull. Twenty-three years of maturation in an Oloroso butt have transformed it into a true sherry monster without taming the smoky character. At the nose it’s winey, but not much in a fruity way (although some candied oranges are evident): it’s actually more on a brooding and dark tone, extremely leathery, farmy and earthy, and full of balsamic notes of camphor and eucalyptus. The fight between the wine and the peat expresses itself as something that has all the flavours of a volcanic eruption, including a devilish whiff of burnt matchsticks! At the palate, it takes just two seconds to ignite: first with the leathery and earthy tones, and then a whole blast of dry sherry character, black pepper, bitter oranges, with the underlying peat smoke building up stronger and stronger until the end. Chewy and astringent, and definitely hot: approach with caution!