Ledaig Castaway - 61.1%
From the Tobermory distillery website..
A dynamic marriage of exotic sweetness and island smoke, inspired by our Hebridean island home. This is classic Ledaig with a twist - a bold combination of Caribbean rum sweetness and Mexican agave character, travellers from warmer worlds that lend unexpected richness to our bold, peated spirit.
Tasting notes
Appearance: Pale straw colour, forms a thin line which beads before falling as thick legs
Nose: Agave, roasted pineapple, overripe banana, vanilla, malted barley and coastal breeze
Palate: Brown sugar caramelised bananas, grilled pineapple, agave, lime citrus, vanilla cream, gentle smoke, maritime salt and Jalapeño chilli heat. Water brings out more tropical fruit and agave, reducing the heat down to more of a black pepper level
Finish: Lingering notes of Margaritas in salt rimmed glasses, dry ashy smoke, soft caramel and chilli spice. Water softens the heat and brings more fruitiness and smoke to the finish
Summary: This is a whisky in which initial impressions should be put to one side. The first dram out of the bottle ran way too hot and spicy to be enjoyable, needing a decent amount of reduction to make it approachable. However, after only a couple of days with a little air in the bottle the improvement was considerable. The heat was still there but it had lessened and now allowed the agave and tropical fruit notes to shine…and shine they did.
Castaway is a really interesting whisky, quite unlike any Ledaig or for that matter any whisky I’ve tried before. On the face of it, a combination of rum, tequila and whisky influences sounds like a recipe for chaos, however there is a very clever balance achieved bringing an overall harmony. The characteristic Ledaig smoke plays a very distant second fiddle to the influences of the rum and tequila casks, acting instead like a soft, warm cushion supporting those lovely notes of tropical fruit, soft brown sugar and agave.
I suspect this is a whisky which will prove really divisive among purists. It’s so unusual, so different and in many ways so unwhisky-like it certainly won’t appeal to everyone. I bought the bottle out of curiosity, and having been disappointed by tequila cask whiskies in the past, I have to admit it felt like a gamble. However, for me this is one gamble that has paid off, I certainly didn’t expect to be enjoying it half as much as I’m currently doing. As a bonus, it also makes a very interesting highball with ginger ale!
The current website price is £65, decent value for a 61.1% abv whisky despite being relatively young.
If you would like more information on this whisky, the distillery, or any of the other Tobermory whiskies, follow the link to the company website.
