Distell, the owners of Tobermory, Bunnhabhain and Deanston distilleries (after purchasing Burn Stewart Distillers back in 2013), has announced last week a formal collection of limited editions for 2018 with six whiskies from those distilleries.

In 2017 we had a similar collection from Distell although it was not officially announced as a global and unified series. The 2017 collection included two Bunnahabhain whiskies (Moine Brandy Finish and PX Finish), Deanston in Bordeaux wine casks and a few more releases from Tovermory and one of those ‘extra’ releases was the Ledaig 13 Year Old Amontillado Finish which became a big hit that largely flew under the radar but was coveted by many whisky lovers.

Ledaig 13 Year Old Amontillado Finish (59.2%, £74.99/€102.78)

Nose: Sweet pears and cured meat, soft earthy sweet peat, then big grapes and fuzzy white wine (Cava) notes with pears interwoven with the Ledaig sweet peat, vanilla, soft subtle smokiness.

Palate: Sweet, pears, peat, vanilla, caramel, pepper and spices, fuzzy wine, grapes, fruitiness with some tropical edge and slightly drying towards the end.

Finish: Medium length, fruitiness, gentle peat, salt and subtle oak spices.

Thoughts: Fantastic whisky. Tasty and savory. The Amontillado sherry added another layer of flavors that matched perfectly with the sweet and peppery peat profile of Ledaig. No wonder people went hard after bottles of this great whisky, and I was surprised to find out that some web shops still have some bottles in stock. Highly recommended!