Ledaig Unpeated 1995 Hidden Spirits Highproof Version 25 yo

 

 

 

50,2°

Distillery : Tobermory - Islands

Refill Bourbon Hogshead 

Independent Bottling 

By Hidden Spirits 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated 

 

 

 

And what happens to the thief when he no longer steals? And what happens to the bird when it stops flying? And what happens to Ledaig when it is no longer peated? Andrea Ferrari has sought to answer this question by bottling this Ledaig Unpeated, which has spent 25 years in a Refill Bourbon Hogshead. It's not Tobermory, it's Ledaig, because the production processes aren't the same, and this is indeed a Ledaig that's been made, except that the peat hasn't been added - it's the only ingredient that's missing. Was this an oversight, or was it done on purpose? We'll never know the answer to that question, but in my opinion, it was an oversight. 248 bottles went on sale. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Light autumn breeze, dead leaves macerated in orange jam, pastry cream, a dash of vanilla, a slice of lime. But there's still a background of dirtiness, melted plastic, grit, small gravel. Nice iodine fullness, sea spray, foam. Elderberry honey. On the palate, green tea, herbaceous notes, parsley, bay leaf, pinch of citrus fruit, powerful spices, cumin, cloves, black pepper, grapefruit pulp. Very long finish, shortbread biscuits, green apple, more grapefruit, freshly cut wood, slight bitterness, dusty charcoal. Fresh mint, almost fluoridated.

 

In Short, 

I can confirm that this is Ledaig, but without the peat. There's none of the fruitiness and elegance of Tobermory, it's still a dirty, unconventional whisky. And the peat is missing, because it would have given meaning to all this weirdness. It's a good bottling, but with too little fruit, sweetness or iodine to make up for the lack of peat, in my humble opinion. It's still original and very interesting, especially for the Ledaig fan that I am. But who's going to pay such a price, which is justified given the age of the beast, for something that's only interesting? It has to be exciting, bewitching, seductive. And here it isn't, it's just astonishing, mysterious and intriguing. I still had a good time, and I don't regret buying the sample, but for once, I'd advise against buying a bottle of Ledaig, and against buying from Hidden Spirits. But well done to Andrea Ferrari for the experience. 

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Anni - Deliverance (Acoustic Version)