This Ledaig 2004 is the third bottling by Liquid Art. I’ve seen a lot of 2004-2005 releases from this distillery lately, but I haven’t reviewed many of them as they tend to be really similar.
Ledaig 10 yo 2004 (51,6%, Liquid Art ‘Pink Salmon’ 2014, 176 btl.)
Nose: somehow the peat is quite warm here, more so than in other Ledaigs, and despite the young age. Tar and charcoal, mixed with a bit of vanilla and lemonade sweetness. Maybe tinned peaches or pineapple in the back. Very light coastal notes, along with some mentholated hints, but it’s mostly the roundness that’s remarkable here.
Mouth: slightly more fierce now, with a hot peaty kick. A little more olive brine as well. Then it returns to sweet soot, with a light syrupy, fruity undertone again. Nice. Sweetened lapsang tea.
Finish: long, more towards kippery and herbal notes now, but always with this lingering sweetness.
Nice how this one mixes the deep peaty notes with a balancing sweetness. I don’t like roughly peated whisky so this is one of the nicest Ledaigs I’ve come across so far. Launched today, available from Liquid Art.
Score: 87/100
Let’s compare it to another Ledaig 2004 that was bottled earlier this year in the Liquid Treasures series.
Ledaig 10 yo 2004 (53,2%, Liquid Treasures 2014, bourbon hogshead, 179 btl.)
Ledaig 10 yo 2004 (53,2%, Liquid Treasures 2014, bourbon hogshead, 179 btl.)Nose: this one is slightly cleaner and brighter. In this case this means less of the tinned fruits and vanilla. More minty notes, more sea spray, more mezcal-like notes as well. More towards the focus of young Coal Ila, if you like. There’s a nice buttery side to it as well, so it’s certainly not austere.
Mouth: again slightly more focused on the peaty notes, the brine and the smoked fish. It also has a nice sweet side, but it’s less pronounced. Bright hints of sweetened lemon juice and candied ginger. Liquorice too.
Finish: long, smoky, half briny, half sweet. Echoes of sweet coffee and chocolate in the very end.
Both are close together. If you prefer a pronounced peatiness and a slightly sharper profile, this one is for you. Around € 70, available from eSpirits among others.
Score: 86/100