Ledaig Dùsgadh 42 Year Old

Tasting Notes

• Tasting Notes by Billy

  • Nose

    Big, rich, elegant and old. Polished oak tables sat on old oak floors, with forest floor notes behind – damp earth, green leaves and bark. Savoury notes dominate, with an umami meatiness taking centre stage, but there's still a touch of marzipan sweetness with burnt raisins hiding in the wings. As it sits in the glass, some comparatively lighter notes develop, with apple juice, apple sauce and warm leather car seats appearing, along with spiced pastry and red berry compote.

  • Palate

    Sweeter and oilier than expected from the nose, with a thick mouthfeel joined by butter icing, marzipan and candied apple. Spice builds, with clove and cinnamon giving a gentle tingle, before rich raisins and sticky black liquorice take over. From there things go savoury, with wood smoke and the forest notes from the nose balanced by lingering dark chocolate.

  • Finish

    Spice and earthiness, with riverbank loam and green grass accompanied by black pepper. As the greenness hangs around, become sharp, before sweet liquorice builds and then fades, leaving a hint of anise and menthol.

  • Comment

    Dense, with a lot to get through. It's a dram you can spend a very long time on, and you will be well rewarded if you do. It has layers of flavour, going from the weighty to the very weighty, with a gentle seem of smoke running through the middle. You don't often get to try a whisky of this old-school style, and it's always a treat when you do.

• Tasting Notes by Stuart P

  • Nose

    So much going on here: fruity sweets interlaced with chewing gum, a slightly resinous note and roasted chestnuts. Sweet fudge and char from the oak, as well as freshly trodden forest leaves. Bright and engaging; not heavy. A fine (and expensive) pair of leather shoes laid to dry near an open fire.

  • Palate

    Touch of woodsmoke. Almonds and hazelnuts roasted over the fire. Nice spiciness – cloves and nutmeg – with fresh fruity notes of greengage and pear, as well as more serious, darker notes of wooden bookshelves and old leather. Some dark chocolate gateau present, too, and espresso.

  • Finish

    The spicy nuttiness takes hold, gradually fading with sweet spice and dark chocolate.

  • Comment

    A complex dram, at turns playful and sweet then dark and mysterious. Would work brilliantly after dinner with some dark chocolate or rich truffles.

• Producer's Tasting Notes

  • Colour

    Chestnut.

  • Nose

    Rich and complex, intense phenolic sherry aromas. Sooty smokiness, fragrant wood, toffee apple, briny with some sweet biscuit maltiness.

  • Palate

    Quite dry evolving to a rich smoky oloroso sherry character. Massive complex layers of dark chocolate, coffee and cherry liqueurs. Extremely smooth, well balanced with spicy ginger and black peppercorn overtones.

  • Finish

    Dry, smooth and spicy, satisfying and very long with a salty smoky tail.