Another of our purchases picked up from our trip to The Whisky Shop in York. This was purchased to contrast the subtlety of the Inchgower and to introduce my parents to the delights available from the Tobermory Distillery.
The Glenkeir Treasures range is a really interesting exclusive collection produced by The Whisky Shop. They can be bought bottled from source, but we were able to try some direct from the cask in the shop. The Ledaig that we tried was distilled in February of 2007 and bottled in April of this year (2016).
Price: £35 for a 50cl bottle
Appearance: Worn Pounds Coins, golden but faded.
Aroma: Lime, Coal Smoke and Steam Engines.
Taste: Initially the palate of this whisky is much more subtle and refrained than you would expect from the nose. There is a really subtle, creamy sweetness to the start that only reappears in the final dying embers of this whisky bonfire.
As you would expect, the second part of this dram is all about the smoke. It is thick, acrid coal smoke, but it is balanced by an underlying sweetness. It is thick, syrupy and smooth.
It washes from the middle of the mouth, sitting both at the front of the tongue, numbing and tingling and at the back of the mouth where is a warming and woody. There are the returning creamy notes and some citrus fruits too…
Mouthfeel: Powerful, but calm.
Overall: Sometimes it is necessary to come back to a dram to fully appreciate it. I have to say that this dram, has made me want to completely revise my opinion of Ledaig. The last dram I had was no where near this standard. This is smoky, but subtle. Sweet, creamy and zesty. Whether it fitted my mood, or it is that good, who knows, but I will be returning to Ledaig to pick up a bottle very soon.
Real Dram Factor: 8.4
More information: The Whisky Shop Website
Purchased: The Whisky Shop, York.
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