Ardbeg An Oa

Ardbeg but leaning more towards chocolate flavours. It's decent but the flavours aren't as lingering and deep for me as for example in Uigeadail. It's quite costly for what it brings to the table.

Rating: 15/23 I found this at a great price, so I figured I had to give it another shot N: A bit simplistic and youthful. I get a smokiness in the campfire vein with some of that characteristic Ardbeg tar. There's a bit of sweet seaweed, coffee, and chiles. I do smell a bit of the alcohol. There's some sort of meaty savoriness in with the campfire smoke that I like, but that seems a little too sweet and fun without appropriate maturity. P: This is fuller and more complex than Westland Peated, which I consider to be kind of at the low end of the peated range. I get lots of tobacco and ash here, with sort of a spicy, meaty, slightly sweet campfire character. I'm a bit confused. This is not a very elegant whisky, but it does at least avoid having a big alcohol flavor come through and it is quite full, though nowhere near the level of Ardbeg Uigeadail or its ilk. This definitely sweeter and more watery than the Uigeadail, with more rough edges. I get somewhat of an apple note with the campfire here. There's a faint chocolate character at times here, but not a ton. It's not so much that this is uncomplex as it is that some flavors really stand out in a jarring way. The lack of balance is the real problem here. F: There is that lingering tar bitterness for sure. there's also some apple, spicy firewood, a hint of savoriness, and some sort of tartness here and there mixed with the bitterness (orange peel?). And a little bit of sea spray too. - Conclusion - Argue all you want about the Uigeadail versus the Corryvreckan, but one thing is clear: this is far inferior to both of them. It tastes younger, less balanced, and less complex. It isn't bad, but I don't enjoy it all that much and even at the low price I found it for I won't be buying another bottle. But to compare this with things more in its ballpark. Laphroiag Quarter Cask (17) is more complex and balanced (and I don't normally think of Laphroaig Quarter Cask as very balanced), but also less full with more watery elements. I think what that says is that the flavor here packs quite wallop because the Laphroaig is quite full by most standards. Despite the fuller flavor here, I find the Laphroaig to be better executed. This also has a brashness that Amrut Peated (16) does not. I find the Amrut to be a bit better, though we're getting more into the same range here. On the other hand, Westland Peated (14) is lighter without increasing the complexity. Considering that, I think that this has been neatly boxed into a 15.

Nose: iodine, campfire, peat, a hint of strawberry jam Palate: oaky vanilla, some maltiness, peat bog, brine and more campfire smoke Finish: peppery, another hint of strawberry jam, seawater, ashy cigar smoke that lingers Overall I prefer the 10 to this, the influence of the px casks is barely noticeable and this tastes younger and a bit harsher than the 10 year old but doesn't have the salty peat punch of the wee Beastie.

Less smoke in the nose, sherry and dried fruit. Peat and smoke up front, gives way to dry fruit and caramel. I am a fan.

This is the fourth Islay Scotch I’ve tried and the third offering from Ardbeg. I actually like this one. There is smoke upfront but I soon find vanilla, some brine and a hint of citrus. There’s very little peat, compared to both the ten year old, or the wee beastie.