Ledaig G&M Cask Strength 1997, (Sherry Cask - 16YO)

Added some water to this but I should have checked the colour before doing so - it's become so opaque it looks like muddy water! And it really does not look very appealing, LOL.

The Nose immediately hits with peat and tar! Just as you'd expect from Ledaig. Dry and briney but after time there is fruit too. Quite distinctive blackcurrant with some raspberry and red fruit.

Tarry charcoal overlays a surprisingly sweet and fruity palate. The peat certainly dominates but does not overpower the fruit from the sherry cask. Red berries being the most obvious fruit flavour now. It's like a carbonised fruit pudding.

Very long drying finish that wafts up the nasal passages like a fine cigar. But still the sweetness from the fruit is there, lingering. The peatiness is still very evident some 10 minutes after last tasting it.

Subtle this is not! Big and powerful it certainly is though, and a genuine rival to Islay's southern trio. This is the third Ledaig expression I've tried, (after the NAS and 10YO) and easily the best one.

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