Ledaig 2007 (Claxton’s for Crann)

The nearby whisky club Crann has just released a club bottling selected from the Claxton’s stocks.

It’s a 10 year old Ledaig, originally matured in a bourbon hogshead but re-racked into several Octave sherry casks. Crann selected a Pedro Ximénez sherry octave, whisky store Anverness went for an Oloroso cask, I’ve heard one was released in Austria and another part was taken by Van Zuylen. There’s also a sister cask, also finished in different octaves.

Ledaig 10 yo 2007 (53,8%, Claxton’s 2017, bourbon hogshead & PX sherry octave #1715AV2 – 700641)

Nose: Cuban cigars, deep sooty notes, wet earth and a very dark, syrupy sweetness underneath. Roasted chestnuts and liquorice. A lot of chocolate and caramel sweets. Just a light lemony edge.

Mouth: a peat bomb more than a sherry bomb, I would say. Soot, pepper, butter fudge and plenty of tobacco. Spices (cinnamon). A little iodine. Nice combination of this tarry base with the sweeter chocolate and prune notes. Some Seville oranges.

Finish: long, ashy. Hints of drying wood – it’s an Octave cask after all.

A bit of a pressure-cooked Ledaig, I always feel octaves need to be handled with care but here it works. Big peat and warm sherry, a good recipe. Oh and thank you for the tie-wraps, Gert.

Score: 87/100