Knockdhu 2006 / Ledaig 2001 (Whisky Sponge)

Two peated expressions in the Whisky Sponge series. One is Knockdhu (anCnoc), the other Ledaig (Tobermory).

 

Knockdhu 16 yo 2006 (55%, Whisky Sponge 2022, refill hogshead, 321 btl.)

Nose: pretty savoury. Starts on dried kelp, bonfire ashes, stale butter and charred apples. Sea salt, mulching leaves, porridge and whiffs of rubber. Then olive brine and vegetal notes, in between mashed potatoes and agave. Rather dirty so far.

Mouth: a potent attack, with huge grassy notes, with sharp pepper, brine and burnt grapefruit zests. Quite austere!  Then sooty notes, a little tar, more mulching leaves and olive brine. Some meaty notes, as well as these vegetal hints. Rubber too. Peppermint and bitter herbs in the end.

Finish: long, still quite bitter and grassy, with pepper and acrid smoke.

I find this a tough whisky, much more austere than the official peated releases. An interesting statement perhaps, but too boisterous for me. Still available from Master of Malt or The Whisky Exchange for instance.

 

 

Ledaig 20 yo 2001 (64,4%, Whisky Sponge ‘4th secret edition’ 2022, refill sherry hogshead, 62 btl.)

Nose: much more farmy, with dark smoke, stable aromas and saddle leather. Bonfire embers. There’s an echo of Brora in this. Then red apples, raspberry jam and whiffs of blackberry tea. Salted nuts. A nice marriage of sooty peat and sherry.

Mouth: strong, with a firm medicinal side and antiseptics, engine oil and citrus oil. Lime and hints of jasmine. Then camphor, a vinegar-like sharpness, black pepper and ginger. Becomes tarry, with hessian and herbal tea.

Finish: very long, on menthol, graphite, black pepper and grapefruit.

Still not an easy whisky, but this Ledaig has so much more to offer than the Knockdhu in my opinion. Highly complex, with a nice fruitiness to balance the fierce herbal and medicinal notes. Sold out, I believe. Score: 89/100