Hey There, welcome back. Quick disclaimer before we start: I am going on a vacation from this Sunday for a week and I won't be posting here during that period. After all vacation is for relaxing right? Well not really, we are going to hike in the Dolomites, Italy. Looking forward to it a lot. Feel free to check my older posts by clicking here. Now with that out of the way, let's see what this article will be about. My last post was about Ardbeg 5...a heavily peated whisky. Guess what? This post is about another heavily peated whisky, the Ledaig Sinclair Series Rioja Cask Finish. It was in promotion and I remembered that a lot of people praised it. Picked it up, opened it, tasted it and what do you think? I liked it. Let's get into it.

About the distillery

Tobermory distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery situated on the Hebridean island of Mull, Scotland in the town of Tobermory and is owned by the Scotch whisky producer Distell Group Limited a subsidiary of Heineken N.V, The distillery, which was formerly known as Ledaig (pronounced Letch-ick), was founded in 1798 and has changed hands several times, having undergone a number of periods of closure. The only distillery on Mull. Its main product, Tobermory single malt, is used in the blends Scottish Leader and Black Bottle. The distillery also produces a smaller amount of peated whisky, which remains known under the former name, Ledaig.

Two different lines of whisky are produced at Tobermory: on one hand Tobermory Whisky that is unpeated, on the other hand the peated Ledaig Whisky. For the Tobermory, the unpeated malt variety 'optic Concerto' with less than 2ppm phenolic content is used, while the Ledaig is made from the peated 'optic Concerto' barley with 30-40ppm phenolic content. A very strongly peated version was also offered in the past in small quantities under the Iona label.

The standard bottlings of the two labels are the 12 year old Tobermory and the 10 year old Ledaig, but older single malts are also available as original bottlings of both, such as a Tobermory 21 year old or a Ledaig 18 year old.

Tobermory 12 years old is an intense and aromatic Single Malt with a fruity and floral character, spicy notes such as ginger and aniseed, slightly nutty aromas and a medium-long finish. It is non chill filtered and without artificial colouring.
Ledaig 10 years old combines peat smoke with malty aromas, citrus fruits, pepper and maritime notes. Its character is reminiscent of an Islay Malt. It is also non chill filtered and without artificial colouring.

Ledaig Sinclair Series Rioja Cask Finish - Natural Color, Non-chill filtered, 46,3%

"The Tobermory Distillery has kicked off its Sinclair Series of bottlings with a brilliantly flavoursome Ledaig single malt, which has enjoyed a finishing period in Rioja wine casks! The series is named after the distillery's founder, John Sinclair, and this particular edition packs plenty of peaty notes alongside the ripe red fruit sweetness imparted by the Rioja casks. A sublime evening dram, this.

The first release in our new Sinclair Series, this non aged statement Ledaig Rioja Finish is ruby red in colour and perfectly balances peat smoke with sweet, fruity Rioja. Like all our single malts, this is non-chill filtered and natural colour."

What is Rioja?

Rioja is a wine region in Spain, with denominación de origen calificada (D.O.Ca., "Qualified Designation of Origin," the highest category in Spanish wine regulation). Rioja wine is made from grapes grown in the autonomous communities of La Rioja and Navarre, and the Basque province of Álava. 

Rioja is an indigenous Spanish wine varietal that likely dates back to Roman times. In fact, some speculate that the Rioja grape varieties may have been a precursor to the Bordeaux varieties that sprung up slightly later in France. Commercial wine production in Rioja began in the 13th century, and wine has been the region's primary focus from the 15th century until now. It can be made as a red or white wine depending on the grape, though red wines using Tempranillo grapes are the most common.

Rioja is most commonly a red wine made from Tempranillo grapes, though sometimes Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano grapes are used. Tempranillo is known for its structure, tannins, and savory taste, though it is notably fruitier than something like Cabernet Sauvignon. Overall, flavor notes include cherry, plum, dill, vanilla, and leather. Rioja can also be made as a white wine using Viura, Malvasía, and/or Garnacha blanca grapes, though this is much less common. 

Nose: Peat & smoke, obviously. Brine. The scent of fresh air whilst walking on a coastline. The coastal elements are quite strong in the nose. Then earthiness and dry peat. Horse stable and farm smells. Bonfire. Caramel, chocolate, dried fruits such as raisins and figs. A slight leather note with old books. Cereal and malt with dry oakiness. There is no sign of alcohol whatsoever.

Taste: Quite salty. Love it. Brine and salted caramel. Malty, very malty. Bonfire smoke, grilled fruits. Dried fruits again. Cinnamon and cloves. Ginger. Vanilla and almond with milk chocolate. Red grapes. Leather and peat. The peat is earthy and dry, Just how I like it. Alcohol is very well integrated, it fits the whisky. Some oakiness at the back end of the palate.

Finish: Long. Peaty and dry. Salt and spices. Fruity and vegetal. Sweet and sour. Lovely balance. It's also quite dirty at the same time. Lovely.

Overall I have to say it's an excellent dram. Especially for its asking price. As my good friend Northbright Oakley said: "Wine and peat are great friends and they work quite well together." I agree with this 100%. This whisky is put together very well and the selection of the casks are just perfect. I am very happy I picked this bottle up. Buy it, try it, enjoy it. Thank me later. Hehe. 89 / 100. Great price per value ratio. Worth it.

Some pictures in this article are not owned by me, I tagged their owner and I attached a link of their site. All other pictures that have my logo on them are TAKEN AND OWNED BY ME.

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Check out the points on all the whiskies I've rated and ranked head-to-head over HERE.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. To many more. Sláinte.