Ledaig make brilliant whiskies in recent years, this one’s aged for 21 years having been finished in Marsala wine casks.
Ledaig 21 Year Old 1998 Marsala Cask Finish , 55.8% , £199
Nose: Sweet red fruit, mainly ripe cherries, some grapes, maybe a hint of light prune, with very nice old wood feeling to it as well, some sour notes of citrus fruit and a nice sweet smoky touch, distant wood fires, sweet glazed meats roasted on bonfires.
Palate: Dried fruit smoldered by smoke, mostly sultanas. A hint of chocolate and some wood spices and pepper. Lovely peaty, with a wee medicinal note yet quite sweet with ample wood to support it all, creamy vanilla and the peat is balanced yet very present. Lovely.
Finish : salty, wasted cigar leaf, red berries jam, peat ashes. Beautiful.
Conclusion: This is beautiful stuff, the older Ledaig notes mix superbly with the sweet Marsala which gives it a nice fruity side, that works wonderfully well with the peaty/medicinal/smoky profile and the old oak. Loving it. Highlt recommended if it fits your budget!