Ledaig : 30 Year Old Refill Sherry Butt Gordon & MacPhail 1993

Tasting notes and characteristics of the Ledaig 30 Year Old Refill Sherry Butt Gordon & MacPhail 1993

Tasting

Appearance
A deep golden brown hue, ranging from rich gold to pronounced amber, the result of an extended maturation in sherry cask with no added colouring. Its rich, oily and slightly viscous texture forms thick legs on the sides of the glass, a testament to the absence of chill filtration.

Nose
Richly fruity and structured, it opens on intense citrus, dominated by bitter and aromatic Seville orange. These mingle with indulgent notes of strawberry and toffee apple, forming a delicious pastry-like layer. Stewed fruits then follow, infused with a touch of spicy ginger and pear. In the background, island peat reveals itself subtly through fine wood smoke, soot and damp earth.

Palate
The attack is marked by the caramelised sweetness of brown sugar and vanilla pod. The palate then evolves towards a darker complexity with the emergence of dried cherry and a smooth coffee bean, leading to notes of dried banana and toasted oak. The medium-bodied finish stretches out long on warming autumnal spices and black pepper, leaving a trail of soft smoke and grilled meat.

Food pairings and tasting moments

This exceptional spirit is best enjoyed neat, in a tulip or Glencairn glass, at a temperature of 18 to 20°C. Take the time to let it breathe and feel free to gradually add a few drops of water to release its most delicate aromas. On the gastronomic side, it elevates characterful meats such as roast duck, pigeon or venison, as well as fine smoked fish (salmon, eel). It also pairs beautifully with blue cheeses (Stilton, Roquefort) or well-aged hard cheeses (36-month Comté), and will brilliantly conclude a meal with a lightly sweetened dark chocolate or coffee dessert.

Mixology

Given its venerable age, its rarity and its aromatic complexity patiently forged over three decades, this single malt is to be savoured neat or with a single drop of water. Using it in a cocktail would mask its exceptional flavour heritage and is therefore not recommended.

Other characteristics

This single malt is classified as heavily peated. Although the peat has elegantly melded over time to give way to more complex and umami notes, it remains the backbone of this powerful and spicy profile, typical of the island and maritime style of the Isle of Mull.

A Scottish Single Malt of rare elegance, showcasing the peat of Ledaig

Ledaig and Gordon & MacPhail: a historic partnership in Scotch whisky

Founded in 1798 by John Sinclair, the Tobermory distillery is the sole producer of whisky on the Isle of Mull, in the Inner Hebrides. It crafts two distinct expressions: an unpeated malt and the renowned Ledaig, a heavily peated Scotch whisky with a maritime, smoky and farmyard character. Its production setup stands out for its atypical stills equipped with boil bulbs and S-shaped lyne arms, which favour a rich and complex distillate. For this cuvée, the distillate was entrusted to Gordon & MacPhail, the illustrious independent bottler based in Elgin since 1895. This institution, now owned by the Urquhart family, is renowned for its unrivalled expertise in cask selection and extended ageing, allowing the very essence of the greatest malts to be revealed.

The excellence of the 30 Year Old Refill Sherry Butt Gordon & MacPhail 1993

The 30 Year Old Refill Sherry Butt Gordon & MacPhail 1993 is a true collector's piece that perfectly illustrates the exceptional ageing potential of the Mull distillate. Distilled in 1993, this Single Malt has benefited from a slow and carefully managed maturation of thirty years in a single refill sherry butt (Refill Sherry Butt number 706). The choice of this large-capacity cask allows for gentle extraction, preventing the wood from dominating the original character of the spirit.

Bottled in 2024 at cask strength (57.2% ABV), this Scotch whisky is presented in its purest state: with no chill filtration and no added colouring. It belongs to the bottler's prestigious Connoisseurs Choice Upper range, reserved for the rarest and most accomplished expressions.

This bottle is carefully presented in an elegant wooden gift box. It offers discerning enthusiasts a unique opportunity to explore a profile where the fire of youthful peat has been transformed into a complex symphony of candied fruits, spices and roasted notes, bearing witness to the patient work of time on an exceptional raw material.