Walk along Tobermory's harbour to the far end of the bay and you reach one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. Tobermory Distillery was founded in 1798, and it makes two very different whiskies under one roof: the unpeated Tobermory, and the peated Ledaig — the smoky side of Mull, and the dram we reach for most often at the MacDonald Arms bar.
Two whiskies, one distillery
Ledaig (roughly "le-chig", from the Gaelic for "safe haven" — the old name for the port) is Tobermory Distillery's peated spirit. Where the standard Tobermory malt is bright and unsmoked, Ledaig is made with heavily peated barley, giving it the maritime smoke you might associate with Islay, but with its own island character.
The distillery has had its quiet spells over two centuries — long silent periods through the twentieth century when the stills stood cold — which makes the whisky being made there today feel all the more worth celebrating. It is a genuine piece of Tobermory heritage, produced a few hundred metres from our front door.
What Ledaig 10 tastes like
Ledaig 10-Year-Old is the flagship: peat smoke first, but sweeter and rounder than its reputation suggests — malt, brine, a little pepper, and a long, warming, smoky finish. If you like Islay malts you will feel at home; if you have always found them too aggressive, Ledaig is a friendlier introduction to peat than most.
It is also, in our slightly biased opinion, exactly the right whisky for a west coast evening: something about drinking an island malt a stone's throw from where it was distilled, with the bay it is named for outside the window.
From the distillery to your glass
The distillery runs tours and tastings if you want to see where it all happens — it is an easy stroll from the hotel along the waterfront. Then finish the story properly: a dram of Ledaig 10 in our bar, before or after dinner at 75 West.
Staying the night? Our boutique rooms are upstairs, some looking out over the bay towards the distillery itself. Book direct for our best rates, and let the whisky do the rest.