Ledaig 18 REVIEW: The FUNKY ISLANDER!?

I've got batch 3 of the Ledaig 18 year old single malt from the Tobermory distillery. It's a really special one! Cheers!
IG: @gwhiskytw
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[@welshtoro3256]

I love the 10 and 18. What I really like is that the 18 is is worth the difference. Quite a few drams can't say that. The other thing I like is the price. It's fair and keeps me going back for more. If it goes up I'll stop buying it. Love the review and agree except the score. It's a great 90. It's just so good to have some great regular whisky out there without all the madness. WT

[@iancrombie8862]

The 10 is grrreat.so this one must be incredible!!!!

[@briandrier3864]

Nicely done, I like your style! Looking to pick this up, as I found it online here in Japan (Rakuten) for inside of US$100 and loved the ledaig 10 as well as an independent bottling (an 8 y.o. Cask strength from the carn mor series!)... and it IS almost my birthday. lol. Thanks for this posting!

[@Gwhisky]

Thanks. If you're okay with the 10 and some IBs, then you're in for a treat with the 18. Really special stuff. Happy birthday!

[@thewhiskybadger174]

Finally pulled the trigger on this bottle at my local. Turns out it is batch 2! That funky cheese note is real! I have a couple of bottles of younger Ledaig but this one is so different. Keep it up G!

[@Gwhisky]

Glad you like it! Cheers!

[@christianschmid3366]

Totally agree with everything you said here👍🏻👍🤗...this is one of my three absolute faves (together with Bowmore 15 Laimrig and Glendronach 18 Allardice) so far...thx and greetz from Germany

[@Gwhisky]

It's honestly a great one. Not sure a lot of ppl know about it, but glad you appreciate it. This whisky is super special to me!

[@tomasbyrom3954]

Quick tip for any Gaelic names: in Gaelic the stress is (almost) always on the first syllable, so the way you pronounced it in your previous video was more correct. To be fair, the name of this whisky isn't using standard Gaelic spelling, so you can probably pronounce it however you like ;)

[@Gwhisky]

Good to know, I'll keep that in mind. Cheers Tomas! 🥃

[@allanwhittle3041]

Hi Geoff ..Great review .......This sounds right up my street , this and the Longmorn 18 my next two aquisitions , since i discovered G Whisky had to order an additional whisky cabinet ..Great Stuff !

[@Gwhisky]

Both excellent 18 year olds. Hope they treat you better than the Bunna 18. Do tell me when you pop them!

[@allanwhittle3041]

@@Gwhisky ..weird isn’t it , I tried the Bunna 12 last night followed by the 18 and your right and as it should be ,the 18 is a better tipple , whisky tricks you and when you come back it , it’s often different to how you remembered it just the night before . As you’ll know , it makes a lot of difference what you ate for dinner , if we’ve partaken of “ Indian “ ( we do like spices🌶..) trouble is it completely ruins the whisky judgement / taste . Hey ho ..All good fun But yes ..The 18 quite rightly is better 👍🤣🤣🥃

[@Gwhisky]

Really happy to hear you say that. Of course that happens all the time. That's why you'll notice I don't review full bottles. Always worthwhile to spend a little bit of extra time with a whisky before you settle on an opinion.

[@hongdaonguyen9417]

Great review of a great and often overlooked whisky...

[@Gwhisky]

Agree. Ledaig is fantastic stuff!

[@hanqb10]

Finally got the chance to try this one - the batch 2 in the wooden box, specifically. Perfectly matched your review. Dirty sweet salty fruity deliciousness. Have you to thank for convincing me to seek this one out.

[@Gwhisky]

Glad to hear you managed to find it. It's tough to find in a lot of markets. Amazing stuff. That being said, the newer bottlings (no longer batches) are still exceptional, too. Gotta love Ledaig! 🥃

[@aframs-cctaf-rams-cct6424]

Funny, I just saw this bottle at my local store and was hoping you and Ralfy had reviews. I’ll prob go buy it tonight (not done watching your video) $170, sucks cause I went there yesterday and got a Jack Daniels single barrel barrel proof

[@Gwhisky]

Eesh. $170 is a bit pricey for this. That being said, it's one of my favourite 18 year olds. Very unique flavours. I'd advise you to let it open up, it's one that gets better with time. Enjoy!

[@chrisinston427]

In Scottish Gaelic it’s la-teek or Manx Gaelic it’s la-took. Great review. Rubber and old cheese is my favourite. Yum.

[@hansvaneenennaam457]

Hi Geoff, Great review, makes me curious to this one. I have batch 4 in my stash, will share my notes when trying it.

[@Gwhisky]

Very cool! I've not tried the newer stuff. Correct me if I'm wrong, but they've standardized the 18 year old releases and done away with batches. Looking forward to reading your notes, Hans!

[@asiridesigns5344]

This bottling always reminded me more of Mezcal than scotch, I really dig it!

[@Gwhisky]

Incredible stuff! 🥃

[@harveyspecter5392]

Hey Jeff, I gotta say I love your contents a lot. I personally like funky whiskies like Springbank, Cragellachie, Bruchicladdich. Watching your review makes me wanna get my hands on this lovely Ledaig. However, I got enough heavily-peated bottles on my bar shelf. May I know is this Ledaig heavily-peated like those Islay monsters (Ardbeg, Laphroaig)? Or it's just normally-peated yet comes with funky elements.

[@Gwhisky]

Thanks for watching, Harvey! It's... between? It's not like a hard-core peat monster, but the peat is still very present, more than any other island whisky I can think of. The sherry and funk make it really special stuff, though. It will definitely not feel redundant next to Ardbegs and Laphroaigs!

[@100puremustard5]

Solid review. I found a batch 2 $140usd. Can't find much info about this batch...

[@Gwhisky]

I'm sure it's fantastic.

[@ZhuJo99]

I live in a small town in Slovakia, europe. His one was nowhere to find, or very expensive like 160 euros in Germany (which they would not ship outside of germany). To my suprise, recently opened local small liquer store few minutes from me had one for 83 euros! Immediately bought one as 10 year is fantastic. He also has 19 year old but I left that one for my friend to pick up :)

[@reinmenke1720]

One of the best I have had. Dirrrrrty! Rubbery! SM in a bottle!

[@Gwhisky]

Amazing stuff!

[@xiamengbaby]

I haven't seen an 18 by me in the Chicago area. There is a 19 year old, but it's nearly $200. I have a 10 which is a nice entry level bottle. Then I picked up a bottle of the 13 year old cask strength Amontillado Sherry cask finish, based on a Ralfy review, which I think is absolutely delicious. Like a smokey jammy dessert.

[@Gwhisky]

The 19 is a limited edition release. I'm not sure if it's worth that much though. The 18 should be a standard release and much cheaper, although I'm not sure about its US distribution. I love the 10 btw, a fantastic affordable peaty kick! That 13 sounds great!

[@absolutwhisky3105]

How do you compare the batch 3 vs the newer bottling where they are no longer in batches? Im assessing if should o get the batch 3 or the newer ones in different packaging and label design.

[@Gwhisky]

The newer version isn't available here yet, sadly. I'd try to get thos one if it's available at the same price, though.

[@paullaviera4747]

Hey G. How much is this in your place? $$ Im thinking of buying though it's a rough market out here. I wana try this one.

[@Gwhisky]

I bought it a while ago while it was still cheap. It cost about USD $90. Lately I've been seeing it go for upwards of $120. Price hikes suck, but it's a beauty. Still worth it.

[@BrianAudia]

Batch two is $160! in North Texas.

[@paullaviera4747]

This is the first video I saw u give a 90+ score, Might I wanna know others with a good score of yours?

[@Gwhisky]

Bunna 18, Edradour Caledonia, and Longmorn 18 have been favourites so far. I'm sure I've missed a couple.

[@bluesmanen1]

Sounds quite interesting🤔👍

[@Gwhisky]

It's excellent.

[@fletcherhamilton3177]

_Very_ seriously thinking of getting this to add to collection...

[@Gwhisky]

A personal favourite of mine. Hope you enjoy it!

[@fletcherhamilton3177]

Ah, I'm one of these 'weirdos' who collects but never opens the 'prestigious' ones, and sticks to the 'baselines'. I recently tried Ledaig 10 and I initially found it bellicose and boorish. Upon reappraisal I determined it had hidden and greatly redeeming qualities. It was the real 'school bully' of whiskies for me! - started out antagonistically toward me but an unlikely yet lasting friendship eventually burgeoned. I know he'd never cease being a bully but he's a friend to me and that's enough. I've always been looking for a lesser-known but reputable whiskey! - might as well make it Ledaig. Not that your average Auckland barstaff has likely even heard of it, much less has it in stock!

[@Gwhisky]

Well if you find it and the day comes that you decide to pop it, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, especially if you get on (somewhat) well with the 10. Worth seeking out! 🙂

[@fletcherhamilton3177]

@@Gwhisky - oh, if this is ‘batch no. 03’, is there a ‘batch no. 01’? Since my last comment I now have a ‘batch no. 02’ 18 year old. Is there any kind of prestigiousness between batches? Do you have a preference?

[@Gwhisky]

Good question! I've only tried the 3, so I can't comment. I'm sure certain people out there have their preferences, but broadly speaking I don't know of any concensus about which is “the best.”

[@martywong822]

How would you compare the funk to Springbank?

[@Gwhisky]

Cheesier. 🧀

[@martywong822]

@@Gwhisky I got the batch 3 and the new packing of 18. The new one does not have a batch number (nowhere I can find). Thank you for the review and it was informative.

[@briandrier3864]

Hey there! Just checking back as I am sitting here with my 3rd dram of this on the night. While I think the 10is still better for cost performance, as this is at least 2-1/2 times the price, there’s no denying that it ups the ante on luxury. Is it the sherry effect? The beautiful presentation? Whatever it is, the level on this bottle is declining precipitously! Definitely a dram for a special occasion, don’t you think? Love this one, and ledaig in general! Slainte!

[@Gwhisky]

It's a great one. It grew on me too the more I drank it. Definitely one for a special occasion! Glad you're enjoying it!

[@Themilkmanskid.]

This sounds too good not to try! Must try soon.

[@Gwhisky]

It's epic! 🥃

[@robhalford92]

I pronouce it leh-chaig :shrug: but amazed how dark this bottle is compared to the modern bottlings

[@Gwhisky]

Haven't seen any more recent batches in Taiwan yet. I plan on trying them when they make it over.

[@robhalford92]

@@Gwhisky I have my fingers crossed for you dude. I've had one sample of the batch 4 and bought a full bottle off the back of it. Not a big peat-sherry-bomb but a strikes a perfect balance imo

[@Gwhisky]

Awesome! Batch 3 is one of my favourite 18s. Looking forward to trying the newer stuff.

[@ninetyZeven]

Mmh. My batch 4 has no batch# info on it. Noneatall. Kinda do wish I had me that nice wood box there let me say. Missed it.

[@ninetyZeven]

Mine took 9 - 10 months to open up by the way. A - ha - ha. Serious wet cardboard note on there. Wonderful spicy meaty vegetal richness behind that c-board and that raincoat rubber tho. Aha!

[@Gwhisky]

So I guess they're done with batches. Good to know. Thanks for the info!

[@paullaviera4747]

I always see this box in the store. Apparently nobody buys it. The wooden box. I think it is not marketed enough.

[@Gwhisky]

The wooden box means it's the older ones that were still released as batches. The Ledaig 18 is now standardized. I kind of like that this isn't a limelight whisky, at least for now. If they maintain this level of quality, I'm sure this will become a bigger hit in time.