Description

Ledaig 2005 Age 19 Years Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Symington’s Choice Cask Strength Collection Signatory Vintage #900158 (700ml)

Volume: 700ml           ABV: 54.1%           Age: 19 Years Old           Country: Scotland

Cask Number(s): 900158
Date of Distilling: 08.11.2005
Date of Bottling: 11.11.2024
Matured In: 1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Butt

The Whisky

Step into the rugged, windswept world of the Inner Hebrides with the Ledaig 19 Year Old Symington’s Choice. This exceptional 700ml single malt, distilled in 2005 and bottled in 2024 for the 2025 collection, is part of the elite Symington’s Choice series—a range personally curated by the owners of Signatory Vintage to represent the “best of the best” in their warehouses. Matured for nearly two decades in a single First-Fill Sherry Butt (Cask #900158), it is presented at a natural cask strength of 54.1% ABV.

Ledaig (pronounced “Led-chig”) is the heavily peated spirit produced at the Tobermory distillery on the Isle of Mull. Inside information reveals that Cask #900158 was selected for its incredible “industrial” complexity; 19 years in a first-fill sherry cask has not silenced the peat, but rather transformed it into a rich, savoury, and smouldering masterpiece. As with all Signatory icons, it is non-chill filtered and natural in colour, appearing as a deep, polished mahogany.

Our Tasting Notes

Nose: A massive and complex opening. You are greeted by heavy, sooty peat smoke and old tractor tires, which are immediately countered by the decadence of dark chocolate covered raisins and prune juice. As it breathes, coastal notes of kippers, iodine, and salted liquorice emerge, wrapped in a blanket of cinnamon and cloves.

Palate: The arrival is thick, oily, and intensely flavorful. The “Ledaig funk” is in full force, delivering earthy peat, barbecued meats, and charcoal. Mid-palate, the first-fill sherry influence surges with blackberry reduction, espresso, and roasted walnuts. The high proof carries a spicy warmth of cracked black pepper and charred oak, creating a “savoury-sweet” tug-of-war.

Finish: Colossal and lingering. The smoke evolves into cold ash and dried seaweed, while a final wave of sherry tannins and dark cocoa provides a sophisticated, drying finish that lasts for minutes.

The Distillery

Tobermory, founded in 1798 and located in the colourful harbour town of the same name, is the only distillery on the Isle of Mull. While the Tobermory-labelled spirit is unpeated, the Ledaig expressions use barley peated to approximately 35-40 PPM. A unique factual detail: Ledaig’s distinctive “farmy” and medicinal character is attributed to the distillery’s unusually long fermentation and the use of wash stills with a very high, narrow neck, which creates a spirit that is both heavy and remarkably clean.

Overall Review

The Ledaig 19 Year Old Symington’s Choice Cask #900158 is globally reviewed as a “sherried peat monster of the highest order,” earning top marks for its balance of industrial grit and wine-soaked elegance. Critics have lauded its “massive personality,” making it a mandatory acquisition for serious peat-heads and collectors of high-age Hebridean malts.