Tastes

Very nice profiled whisky, first smell is with alcohol hints, bit iodine, but after little breathing it smells still powerful but nicer, little peat and smoke even if it's stated as not peated. Taste is well ballanced, tasteful, vanilla, beautiful acidity in middle and overall fruit sweetness (apples/pears). Nice but not needed in my sipper collection.

Got this one with 45 %ABV. Pretty nice smell, missing that sweet notes of caramel and vanilla on behalf of that sour alcoholic odour. The taste follows the sour note, but it adds sweetness of bakery products (that baked sweet dough taste), with little fruital freshness and smooth finish with sour, bit bitter (like burned caramel) aftertaste. Feels stronger, like 50%ABV. The overall taste make it not really preferable sipper (but I'm not implying that it is bad sipper!), but I'm looking forward for some ice and splash of coke or Old fashion with it.

Smell is soft, little peat on sweet grain notes. Taste is very sweet at head, mellow soft body with little fire on the end. Like, little little. The overall taste is very bland, there is no complexity, nothing to explore, this is like very entry level whisky, like scotch with sidewheels to keep your initial tries to ride in balance. I will eventually do some mixing test, but I belive it will underperform, because there is nothing to elevate and diluting it will only make it more bland. This make the bottle like party pseudo-sipper, where you wanna focus on company and not the whisky but you still want to feel that general whisky taste in your mouth.

Smell is strong in alcohol with hints of turpentine and that sweet sour smell of corn mash. First taste is bit rough. There is that buzzin sweet-sour burning in back of the tongue with some flashes to the tip. Head and body of this whiskey is surprisingly smooth. Overall it is actually good. Neat if you want something bit rougher around the edges, or for your whiskey drinks as the mixer. Wouldn't waste it for long cocktails, though, that's more like WT81, Jimmy Beam or Tennessee boy Jacky basic bottles thing.

I really like floral fruity whisky as my daily sipper. And for many other occasions. And Oban - Little Bay is on the top of the list. The beautiful golden colour like spring meadow honey, the taming light whisky smell with hints of sweet kernels fruit, mostly apple and pear. The taste is sweet, light and surprisingly rich. I love how well balanced it is, it's like drinking meadow in glass, sweetened with caramel and with butter like smoothness. It's not a cheap bottle, but once you prepare your tastes, it's very comforting and it really feels like noble destilate.

As sipper: I gave it few tries, but I'm not impressed. It has decent expected "whisky smell", taste goes for nuts, caramel and hint of wood. There is very little burn and it's smooth all the way. It can be sipped, but it's lacking some character. As mixer: This, especially for 30€/1liter, is very nice substitute for proper rye. Yes, WT101 Rye is still a king here, but you need to smash extra 25€ in the table. So JD just cut some corners and his Rye is definetely thing to consider for your rye mixers.

Basic Irish whisky. I would prefer this before basic Jameson (as mixer), but straight the taste is sweet, light, with warm middle and slight woody burning end. But it is not a good sipper, the overall profile is just too flat.