Tastes

The Oban Little Bay is a very smooth and approachable dram. There is a lot of stewed fruit or for the Mennonites out there Obst Mousse on the nose hailing largely from the sherry influence. There is a sweet viscosity on the palate as well which enhances the smoothness of the dram. There is a lengthy finish with hints of apricot and prune that is quite enjoyable. This is a great scotch for those looking to start drinking scotch as it is very well balanced and easy to drink. However, it is still an interesting scotch and a nice change of pace from the heavy Islay peat bombs for the experienced scotch drinker.

The uigeadail is one of the finest whiskies I've ever had the pleasure of trying. Bottled at cask strength intensifies the power and the intensity of the peat while the aged sherry finished portion provides a sweetness reminiscent of dried fruits. Being 54% abv you would think it would be harsh but it is incredibly smooth and has a viscocity that coats the mouth. That said my favourite way to drink this is to take small sips that allow the whisky to just warm the mouth and fill it with flavour. The finish seems to last forever with lingering smoke and fruit and if you have the patience to drink your dram over the course of an hour or so you will find that it reveals different layers of nuance almost everytime you go back to it.

I bought this bottle so I could complete going through the Ardbeg core range. As a fan of all things Islay and especially Ardbeg I was quite excited. Based on the descriptions and the blending process I was hoping it would slot in between the Ardbeg 10 yr and the Uigedal as far as flavour profile and smoothness but I was a little disappointed on that. The blending process seems to have muted some of the raw smoky power of the 10 year old and it doesn't have near the complexity that the Uigedal has. It's still a nice dram with layers of peat, brine and a hint of citrus and had I not had such high expectations of it it would have been great. For those looking to round out their Ardbeg portfolio it's still worth getting but as a staple Ardbeg to have in the cabinet I would either stick with the 10 yr or if I had the budget for it go with either the sublime Uigedal or the heavier hitter Corryvreckan.

It has a very full nose with lots of peat smoke and some briney notes as well. The smoke and brine translate well on the palate with a surprisingly smooth mouth feel. I tried a bit of the Ardbeg An Oa shortly after and found that the Smoke Head is actually a bit smokier than the Ardbeg although not as refined. It does appear that the Smoke Head my have some colour added as it is quite a bit darker than the Ardbeg but it is a very good budget priced Islay noetheless. To my taste it seems a little more similar to Laphroaig than Ardbeg but I quickly admit that I do not have the most refined palate for picking out those subtle nuances and did not have any Laphraoig on hand to really compare. To sum it all up, if you are a fan of smoke and don’t want to break the bank on filling that void Smoke head is a good buy. It is leaps and bounds ahead of Islay Mist and Mclelland’s Islay even if it doesn’t have some of the class of the primary Islay producers.