Ledaig SMWS 42.27 “Smoked, aged Riesling”

Thanks to /u/devoz for this sample

Incase you missed my last post, recently I was at a meeting to discuss a whisky tasting event and ended up needing to try some Ledaig, which is pronounced Le-Check, because Gaelic, that’s why.

So last time we had a nine year old Ledaig that was distilled in October 2006. This time we have… a nine year old Ledaig that was distilled in October 2006.

Not really surprising, however why review both? They seem so similar that the main difference is a slight colour difference, 12 bottles of outturn, and .1% of alcohol.

However the names are different. Brave the Elements and this one, Ledaig SMWS 42.27 “Smoked, aged Riesling”would seem quite different. One I imagine a cold ass day in December in the part of Canada that actually gets cold, and this one… well I’m imaging one of my many trips to Niagara and having some smoked meat.

So let’s see what the difference is, shall we?

Price: Sold Out

Region: Island

Date Distilled: October 2006

Age: 9 years

Cask Type: Refill barrel

Outturn: 222

Abv: 59.4%

Colour:7.5Y 9/6

Nose: Pear, cocoa, lemon, oak, vanilla, smoked nuts

No farmyard this time. The last Ledaig showed up and informed me that I should be slapped around the face. This time? More subtle earth tones, with less smoke.

Does that make the other one the evil twin or this one? I don’t know. This is more subtle. More rounded. Not as complex, though easier to dive into.

Taste: Coconut oil, peat, pepper, steak, cocoa, hot

So this isn’t taken over by smoke, so plus one for this one. Keep track of that, there will be a test later.

Just kidding. No test. Only the rest of your life, waiting for more and more to get easy until you die.

Moving on, this has the meatiness, however is more earth centric again. And while the last one didn’t need water, this did, with more heat coming off of it, and water bringing out more of the coconut oil aspects.

Finish: Peat, brine, steak, pear, cashew butter, hot, honeydew melon, cereal

Again needs water, and even then, feels like this specific cask needed longer than it’s sister/brother/who fucking cares barrels don’t have genders.

I feel like this finish kept ramping up to something and then didn’t do that. Like I wanted the peat to finally amp up and combine into the cocoa to be unique, and then nothing. Or the cashew butter to build into a Reese like flavour, and then no. Or the fruit to do something.

Frankly this is too much rubbing and not enough finishing, if you get my saying.

Conclusion: This attempts something different, and while it’s interesting to compare and contrast this with SMWS 42.22, I have to say it didn’t really accomplish all I wanted. Don’t get me wrong: It’s a cocoa forward, earthy sipping whisky. It’s hot, but water fixes that eventually (mostly).

It’s nice to have, however I wish they had left it along for some more years. Given it time to shine.

78/100

Scotch review #686, Island review #87, Whisky Network review #1147