Ledaig 5 Years (2020/2025) - James Eadie
Ledaig is the smoky twin of the Tobermory distillery on the Isle of Mull – long a hot tip for anyone after peated whisky away from Islay. This release comes from independent bottler James Eadie's "Distilleries of Great Britain & Ireland Commemorative" series: distilled in 2020, bottled in October 2025, so just five years young, matured in one refill barrel and two refill hogsheads. Bottled at 52.6 % ABV cask strength and limited to 1,015 bottles. The second review by our tasters Florian and Lucas.
The panel
Mean 67.5 · spread 1
Value for money 4/5
- Distillery
- Tobermory
- Bottler
- James Eadie
- Type
- Single Malt
- Region
- Isle of Mull
- Country
- Scotland
- Age
- 5 years
- Strength
- 52.6% ABV
- Character
- peaty
Tasting
Nose
First the smoke, never far away with Ledaig, but it quickly clears to reveal bright fruit and above all a distinct pear. Floral notes follow, along with a malty sweetness that frames the youthful spirit nicely. An open, fresh nose without much fuss.
Palate
On the palate the smoke leads, accompanied by restrained oak. The pear returns, this time more like Williams pear or fruit schnapps, and the malty sweetness holds its ground. At 52.6 % it shows its rough edges here, but stays straightforward and easy to grasp.
Finish
The finish brings a little light oak and smoke again, through which the bright fruit briefly shines once more. A maritime note flashes up, but overall the finish is on the short side – fitting for the malt's youth.
Verdicts
Florian
It has its rough edges thanks to the young age and cask strength. Even so, a good character runs right through it – straightforward, almost simple, but coherent.
Lucas
A rather simple whisky whose age you notice from the very first sip. Smoke and pear run through the whole dram – an easy sipper that would have taken a few more years in the cask well, though.
What it is worth
We do not yet hold bottle-level auction results — that sits behind Whisky Hunter’s authenticated feed. What follows is the market for Tobermory as a whole, which sets the weather for this bottling without pricing it.
Latest mean bid £137 across 95 lots · 2024-08