Ledaig 10 Year Old

Wonderful review, and, I have been sitting on a sample of Ledaig 10 myself for months with intentions to review it relatively soon, without having yet sampled it. I have just one serious and polite question though, what is DISHONEST whisky? No, wait, a second question also: what is 'pretentious' whisky? (I have more of a surmisal about that, but it pertains more to marketing than to the actual whisky.)

Hah! Point taken, @Victor. Maybe my wording is getting to colourful these days.

I know that language is quicksilver, and whisky reviews are subjective, but my definition of these words and their intended meanings are as follows:

I don’t use the term “dishonest” often, as that’s a bit harsh. But I can and do use “honest” as a compliment. For me, “honest” is what I interpret to be a sincere result of the distillation and maturation process of a whisky. A young whisky that has been given a superficial facelift through, say, a wine finish, would not fit the definition of “honest,” regardless of whether or not I enjoy it. In short, if a whisky’s youth or shortcomings are superficially glazed over; “honest” probably won’t be applied.

I don’t think “pretentious” is hard to understand. If a whisky has a gaudy bottle, a snazzy label, and an overenthusiastic marketing campaign behind it; that’s one thing. But if the whisky itself doesn’t deliver, I might consider it pretentious. My intended meaning is the same as my dictionary’s; as “having an inflated or exaggerated assumption of worth, dignity, or importance.” But as I try to stay more positive than negative, you’re more likely to see “unpretentious” in my reviews. Naturally, unpretentious would be the opposite of that.

I’m glad you asked, actually. Reviews are meant to be accessible references, so if my language gets too colourful or “pretentious,” I’m happy to explain it more clearly. I hope you enjoy your Ledaig. As always, looking forward to reading your thoughts on it.

Is it better than it was two years ago? I tasted some in a pub that might have been purchased, say, four years ago. That whisky was rot gut, but I've always been very curious about Ledaig. I wanted to find a nice expression of it, and I've tried hard. So far, I just have not pulled the trigger on an indie bottling.

I wouldn't know. I've only owned one bottle and separately tried two samples of it, which weren't discernibly different. Those were within the last two years, so I'm not sure how earlier Ledaigs compare. But I have heard that not too long ago, Tobermory was considered "budget bin" fare.

If you liked Ledaig, you should dig Tobermory. Essentially the same stuff without any peat, but still retains its island character.