SMOS Ledaig 2005 Cask 78

Elements of Islay Cl14

$77.391

This whisky was featured on Day 15 of our 2023 KWM Whisky Calendar. You can check out Evan's blog post on the whisky here.

This multi-vintage batch of Caol Ila from the Elements of Islay was matured in an American oak hogshead as well as Oloroso Sherry Butts. It has been bottled at 50.1%. The full breakdown is thus:

• 1x 2015 American Oak Hogshead
• 2x 2012 ex-Oloroso Sherry butts
• 1x 2013 ex-Oloroso Sherry butt

Whisky Sponge Ledaig 2005 Ed. No.70

$415.992

This 17 year old Ledaig (heavily peated Tobermory) was distilled in 2005, and matured in a rather active 2nd Fill Sherry Butt. Bottled at 62.1%. 89.38pts Whiskybase

Producer Note

"Every so often we try some casks and think ‘we just absolutely have to bottle this!’. This 2005 Ledaig was one such occasion. Comprised of two 2nd fill sherry butts of 2005 Lediag that were clearly still very active and had matured in warehouse conditions which had delivered a highly concentrative maturation profile resulting in very low levels of whisky remaining in cask, at naturally very high strengths. The resulting whisky displayed such an intense and pure expression of sherry and peat we were instantly reminded of some of the great 1972 Ledaigs from sherry casks."

SMOS Craigellachie 2011 Cask 900094

$106.242

Shawn and Andrew sampled this at the Whisky Show London last year, and knew they had to have it... This 10 year old Craigellachie is a beast, bottled at 68.9% after maturing in a Sherry Butt.

Boutique-y Ledaig ncs Batch 21 21 Year

$188.991

This 1997 vintage Ledaig (peated Tobermory) has been bottled after 21 years at natural cask strength of 58.2%.

Producer Description

"This 21 Year Old Ledaig from the Isle of Mull’s Tobermory distillery is our twenty-first batch (I love it when this happens), a release of just 450 bottles at Natural Cask Strength 58.2% abv. Distilled in September 1997, and matured in a single Sherry butt until it was bottled."

About the Label

"The spirit of Ledaig has become a sentient planet smasher and is off to eviscerate his rather more well-known peaty competition! He's off to show that the peatiness of Ledaig whisky can put up a fight against the Islay giants. We're expecting a Dragonball Z style battle between Captain Hammer here and Islay's noble protector (Big Peat, perhaps?), with the fate of the island on the line."