Scottish Whisky : Scotch

Laphroaig has fashioned this whisky using malt from a number of different types of cask, including Oloroso Sherry butts, white American oak, Pedro Ximenez seasoned hoggies, Quarter casks and first fill bourbon casks. 

This does sport the hallmark medicinal Laphroaig qualities we all love so much but it's not packing a massive peat punch and so is a great entry whisky to the joys of Islay for someone just starting the Islay journey.

This is the third release in Laphroaig's The Ian Hunter Story; a 33 year old Islay single malt, which enjoyed its lengthy maturation in ex-bourbon casks. The series honours and celebrates the impact that Ian Hunter, the last member of the Johnston family to own and manage Laphroaig, had on the distillery. It comes in a beautiful presentation and the whisky fits into the pages of the book.

Subtitled 'Source Protector', this 33 year old ex-bourbon cask whisky comes with the story of how Ian protected the water source and peat fields of Laphroaig.

Nose: the signature Laphroaig peat is certainly there, but it’s rounded by age. Seawater, elegant charcoal ashes, hints of lemon candy and bright peaches. Maybe some pineapple. Sweet almonds and whiffs of vanilla pastry. Menthol and embrocations, evolving to floral honey. A little polished wood, old leather and sheepwool as well. Quite excellent.

Mouth: somehow there’s a rather weak onset, staying silent for a while. After that it shows lots of beautiful fruity notes. Mango, pineapple and creamy papaya. However these are held back a little by a wave of oak, which also brings along peppery notes and ginger. It struggles to show its feathers. Subtle iodine and wax towards the end.

Finish: good length, slightly drying, with mint, cold ashes, hints of white pepper and tobacco leaves.

Located on the Isle of Mull, the Tobermory distillery was founded in 1798. Renamed Ledaig in 1972 when it reopened after 42 years of closure, it was closed again in 1975 before reopening under the name Tobermory in 1989.

It produces two single malts, one unpeated, Tobermory, the other peaty (between 30 and 40 ppm of phenols), Ledaig. To develop the latter, the distillery obtains its barley from the Port Ellen malt house.

This version matured in Bordeaux wine barrels shows us a very gourmet side of this distillery, marked by notes of black fruits, ash and sweet spices.

Part of SV?s explorative trilogy of wine barrel-aged expressions. 

46% ABV

A 2007 Ledaig single malt from the ninth release of La Maison du Whisky's Artist series, matured in a single refill sherry butt for a decade, before being bottled in 2019. Peaty aromas of buttery toast, spicy ginger, candied lemon and liquorice fill the nose, over waves of earthy peat smoke. The palate offers notes of coconut milk, seashells, smouldering driftwood, creamy porridge and green apples, as well as medicinal peat smoke.

60.8% ABV

Ledaig single malt Scotch whisky is produced at the Tobermory Distillery, the only distillery on the picturesque Hebridean Isle of Mull. 

Its name comes from the original name for the area, Ledaig (Led-chig), from the Gaelic, meaning ?safe haven?. Ledaig, unlike Tobermory, is distilled from heavily peated malted barley. During the malting process, burning peat is used to dry the barley in a kiln. The reek from the burning peat is absorbed by the barley through the husk of the grain, and the reek remains through the mashing, fermentation and distillation processes, eventually leading to a single malt with a highly distinctive peaty, smoky taste. The result is an intricate Island Malt Scotch Whisky. The 2011 revamp of Ledaig, with new packaging and a solidly peaty whisky. Good work from Tobermory.

A 1996 vintage Ledaig single malt Scotch whisky from Tobermory, which has been given a finishing period in Oloroso Sherry casks. Interestingly, this expression has been made using some of the first peated whisky produced at Tobermory when they started distilling peated malt in 1996!

Peat-dried malted barley is married with naturally peat infused water from the distillery's private water source, a dark aromatic lochan, high in the mountains above the village of Tobermory. Matured in superior Oloroso sherry casks the result is a wonderfully peated single malt with an intense smoky flavorsome character.

The soft gold color of this Ledaig 1996 glistens before you. The nose is rich with fragant smoke, toffee caramel, apple with a hint of mint and a few citrus notes. A wave of crackling peat sets off rich flavor explosions on the palate, black pepper then bursts followed by a light sherry sweetness. The finish is smooth with a spicy salty tail, which disappears into the dark as the peaty embers glow into a smoky finale.

700mL | 46.3% ABV

When you look at the almost transparent color of this Ledaig, you know straight away that the cask will have no influence on its aromatic and taste palette. Both earthy and marine, it is also rustic and at the same time very elegant and easy to access that does not exclude complexity. It expresses in a way that could not be more natural all the paradoxes that make the reputation of this single malt from the Isle of Mull.

54.2% ABV

This is a 25 year old single malt, which was initially matured in 10 American and European oak casks before being married and finished in first-fill oloroso sherry casks. The 2015 edition is presented in a 700ml bottle and also comes with a 50ML miniature of the whisky, as well as a section of a stave from one of the casks that matured the whisky!

Apple, Vanilla and Oak. Aged to Perfection in Specially Selected American Oak Casks. A perfect combination of spirit styles from Loch Lomond's unique stills, aged in American oak casks, to create the distinctive fruit, honey and soft smoke character only found in Loch Lomond single malt. Their 10 year old has mouth-watering notes of green apple & vanilla with a gentle hint of smoke on the finish in the typical style of Loch Lomond whiskies.

40% ABV

A perfectly balanced single malt whisky, matured in three types of cask - bourbon, refill and re-charred.

The Loch Lomond 12 year old is a perfect representation of the Loch Lomond signature style, delivering a deep fruity character which is overlaid with hint of peat and smoke.

46% ABV

Loch Lomond 14yo single malt has been matured in refill American oak casks in French Oak from the Limousin region for up to twelve months. These lightly toasted casks are made especially for Loch Lomond.

The result is an explosion of flavour with green apple and pear on the nose, sweet toffee and vanilla fudge mixed with grapefruit citrus on the palate leading to an amazing depth of gentle smoke & warming spice on the finish.

This is an 18 year old single malt Scotch whisky from the Loch Lomond distillery in the Highlands region. 

After spending 18 years maturing in oak, this expression has developed a complex flavour profile featuring red berries, vanilla, vegetal peat and runny honey. Loch Lomond are renowned for being able to produce a variety of styles at their distillery, including malts, grains and blends. Top stuff!

An exceptional 30 year old scotch whisky; matured in our finest American Oak barrels and finished in Olorosso sherry, adding a layer of complexity to the finished product.

Part of the distillery's 2020 packacking refresh, Loch Lomond Original is the entry-level bottling from this Highlander. Elegant yet full bodied with a hint of peat.

40% ABV 

This is a blended Scotch whisky from Loch Lomond Distillery. The product is married and finished, or as they say, ?further matured in our 100 barrel solera?. The solera system combines sherry casks and American oak casks that have been recharred.

Nose: Soft and delicate. Fruity with a mild oakiness. Dried fruits and a hint of spices. 

Taste: Medium body and creamy mouthfeel. Softly burnt notes of caramel and coffee. Dark chocolate and vanilla. Earthy and dry notes of cinnamon.

Finish: Medium long finish. Coffee beans and cocoa nibs. Malt and vanilla. Oak with a mild green touch in the end.

40% ABV