What to pick when luring people into whisky, part 4: the peat option

Time to bring the first review series of 2024 to an end. As you probably know by now, I’m reviewing the bottles I picked for an intro tasting I hosted back in November of last year to some 30 people, all new to whisky. When trying to introduce people to what whisky is and what it has to offer, there are almost unlimited options and combinations. You could go full global and put a bourbon next to a pot still, a single malt and some more ‘exotic’ Indian, Taiwanese or Japanese stuff, you could go with some decent blends, throw in a rye and -seeing how whisky has indeed gone full global - maybe something from your local distillery as well… But I decided to let flavour do the talking and pick 5 distinguished, single malt scotch whiskies, if only to highlight that within one and the same category, the differences in style and flavour profile can be staggering. The only limitation I set for myself was that the whiskies at hand should be readily available and affordable. Because what would be the point of introducing new folk into the golden nectar if you let them try something they wouldn’t be able to buy for themselves -be it because of scarcity or be it because they would very likely be shocked and horrified by the price tag?

After me talking for some 40-45 minutes, explaining in general terms what whisky is, where it comes from, how it’s made and so on, we went from an easy sipping bourbon cask matured whisky (Balblair 12 yo), a bit of an ‘odd man out’ whisky (the Inchmurrin 12), onto a sherry cask driven style (Bunnahabhain 12 yo), onward to the ‘old school’ option that is Benromach 10 and ended the tasting with a distinctively peaty and smoky expression. Even more so than the oily, slightly ‘dirty’ Benromach, the peated expression definitely split the crowd. I‘m inclined to add ‘despite my best efforts’ here.

Ledaig Sinclair Series. Rioja Cask Finish (2022 release). 46.3% ABV, NC, UCF, app. €40 -50

Now I could have taken the dead obvious route on this one and go with an Ardbeg 10, or a Caol Ila 12 or even a Laphroaig Quarter Cask or the Kilchoman Machir Bay or Sanaig. I didn’t really consider a peated Bunna as we already covered their 12 yo. Nor did I opt for Port Charlotte, because not only  would that immediately be a step up in terms of pricing, I also believe (at the risk of coming across like a snob here) that it’s a more ‘advanced’ whisky. More often than not, it’ll be a whisky you only really get to grips with and start to appreciate once you’re already deeper into whisky. It’s a rather subtle and layered one, after all. Not that I would ever underestimate the people attending the tasting, but I felt that the way the evening was set up, there’s definitely more suitable candidates to fulfil the purpose.

So why did I choose to ignore an entire whisky Island that is known, (in)famous and celebrated for producing peated whisky and took it north, to Mull, instead?

Again, a number of reasons. But the main one being that by picking the Ledaig Rioja cask, I banked on that wine cask influence to add in some sweetness and thus potentially  lower the threshold for some attending. Peated whisky, especially when you’re just dipping your toe into the massive ocean that is whisky, will likely be a love it or hate it affair to most. And given how you (or in this case: whisky) only get one chance to make a first impression, trying to make the evening as agreeable, fun and easy-going as possible to all attending seemed the way forward. Also,  the Ledaig Rioja was the only whisky in the line-up that didn’t come with an age statement and given how I touched upon the concept of NAS whisky during my whisky 101 lecture earlier that evening, I figured it would make sense to offer at least one NAS expression to the people attending. And while you’re here: a wee shout out to my buddy Jim at The whiskey Novice who reviewed this whisky just last week. Great minds think alike…

Nose

Lovely and well balanced between fruit and peat. Those sweet-fruity peat notes are almost jumping out of the glass! A pink- candylike sweetness, almost going into bubblegum with notes of strawberry, rhubarb and blackcurrant. There’s smoke too, but very gentle, almost somewhat restrained. Wet wood and wet soil with a slightly medicinal touch to it.

Palate

Smoky and peaty arrival, with the smoke no longer playing hide and seek. It’s there. And quite clearly so. A dry, rather thin mouthfeel and again that wed wood sensation. The sweetness from the nose is pushed to the back although the fruity notes linger through. If you add a drop of water the sweetness comes back, bringing along some black tea as well.

Finish

Peppery and medium long with a lingering, ashy / dying bonfire peat and smoke note.

Final thoughts

I absolutely adore the nose on this one! With its excellent balance between peat, sweetness and subtle smoke, it hits the spot rather perfectly.  It may be rather more straightforward and less layered on the palate, but that takes little away from the overall very pleasant, morish sipping whisky this actually is. The Rioja casks work very well with this whisky. More than claiming centre stage, they sort of lift things and harmonize the different notes together. Rioja isn’t particularly a sweet wine, rather it's characterized by lots of (intense) fruit, earthy notes and spice with quite some depth and body to it, and in the case of this whisky it chimes in by accentuating the sweeter notes whilst also toning down any possible dominance by the peat. It’s still a peated whisky and very obviously so, don’t get me wrong, but you don’t get smacked in the face with it like a Laphroaig or an Ardbeg would. A low threshold / perfect gateway into seriously peated whisky: this one delivers! 84/100 (although it may merit an extra point if you add in the bang for buck factor!)

And with that, 2024 is well and fully on its way.  Now, at the start of this series I promised you ‘5’ whiskies to lure people into whisky and I didn’t get round to it as January only gave me 4 Thursdays. I’ll resolve that by killing two birds with one stone in next week’s review. So stay tuned…