Ardbeg An Oa

Peaty, woody, and sharp, but balanced and warm. A lot more like the Lagavulin 8

Söt och lite rökig. fatkaraktär, inslag av torkad ananas, tjära, ljunghonung, peppar, halm och vaniljfudge. Blir bättre med några droppar vatten (blir inte heller rökigare av vatten)

(Pinkernells Islay Tasting Event) This one really surprised me. In this tasting event when they told us “Next: Ardbeg” I thought “Yeah ok, I wonder what come after that.” I hadn’t had the “An Oa” before and honestly didn’t expect much. The Ardbeg 10 was one of the first whiskies I ever had and with a couple of tastes in the last months it got better and I really started to like it. But after I had the Corryvreckan and the Uigedail I found myself liking the regular 10y the most, so I wasn’t really that interested in other named releases. But this one was positively different and I like the 10y and this one equally much - more than the the Corry and Uige in fact. The nose was what made me raise an eyebrow. Candied walnuts, sweet cherries, very strong fresh red apples (especially the apple peel of them), marzipan and the really well placed peat in the very middle of it all. I guess that really nice nose comes from the PX influences. Well done. The palate is light and delicately sweet. It feels positively sweet and simple with a proper peat that guides you through the experience. The finish at first is a bid bland but after the second sip it goes up-hill. Gets better with every sip. And even though in the end it still doesn’t blow you away because of its honest simplicity, the nose and first impression was really something. A great sipper and a welcome alternative to both fans of the Ardbeg 10y and peat-newcomers.

Nose of peat, seaweed, saltwater, mint. Interplay of peat and chocolate on the palate, with notes of cereal and a thick, meaty sort of flavor I find in a lot of Islay scotches. Finish has peat and sweet cereal, not strong but slow to fade, very pleasant. The 10 year is a punch in the face with flavor, An Oa is more subtle and complex but easily holds its own on the same level. Lovely spirit and absolutely worth the money.