The Whisky Jury has just released three new bottlings. One is a Staoisha 2013 (peated Bunnahabhain), the other two are both Ledaig 2010.
Even though it’s only 10 years old, this whisky has quite a history. It started its life in a very old sherry butt sourced from Bunnahabhain. Later it was transferred to another (refill) sherry butt. About a year ago the contents was distributed to four Oloroso quarter casks.
One cask is a general release, the other one is exclusive to TastToe, the biggest whisky shop in Belgium.
Ledaig 10 yo 2010 (53,2%, The Whisky Jury 2020, Oloroso cask #04014-1, 141 btl.)
Nose: classic Ledaig sharpness at first. Brine, mercurochrome, lemon juice and sour apples. Hints of old leather and brass polish. The sherry made it slightly rounder, added a hint of gingerbread and a good deal of butterscotch, but it never overpowers. A complex history but the result is nice.
Mouth: aniseed and brine again, then smoked kippers. Earthy peat. After that the sherry comes in, with some chocolate and coffee notes, as well as light herbs. Also a slightly winey / greenish side before it returns to earthy smoke and rooty notes.
Finish: long, returning to the classic Ledaig profile now. Brine, wood spice, pine wood and deep smoke.
Ledaig 10 yo 2010 (54,1%, The Whisky Jury for TastToe 2020, Oloroso cask #04014-2, 141 btl.)
Nose: right, this is going to be difficult. It’s almost identical. I would say this one has a tad more tobacco, but also more of the coastal sharpness. More brine and a slightly bigger sour edge, whereas the general release has more toffee and red fruits. We’re splitting hairs though.
Mouth: despite the higher ABV, this takes a bit longer to really get started. Perhaps slightly drier than the other one, with a zesty note and added cocoa as well. Caraway seeds. A similar winey touch.
Finish: so similar, really.
Both whiskies are extremely close together and have a non-invasive finish, which is a good thing. I can’t pick a favourite. Both around € 90, available from the Whisky Jury partner shops and from TastToe of course.
Update: the general release is also available from The Whisky Exchange.