Oban 18 Year

Very smooth; nice blend of fruity, smoky, woody, sweet honey, baking spices. This is good but it's on the thin side and I prefer the richness of Lagavulin. Edit: the second time I tasted this back-to-back with Lagavulin (both 18 and distillers edition), I actually might have preferred this. It is so light and floral that it makes it a very approachable Islay.

fruity perhaps raspberry/ cranberry, smokey, rich

Very subtle nose, not much smoke at all--not sure there is enough peat to consider use it as a descriptor. Very smooth. Goes down easy with the slight heat on finish. Some banana notes with butterscotch chip.

Gentle nose of butterscotch and apple. Body is sweet, smooth, and almost cool. Applesauce and caramel. Sweet bananas foster.

Classic Oban nose with a touch more smoke than I remember in other expressions I’ve had, a cold smoke like the smell of a fireplace the morning after a fire. There are nice malty cereals, a hint of green apple, vanilla, and caramel all carried on a gentle sea breeze. Nice and malty on the tongue, sweet but not overpoweringly so, everything is quite balanced. There’s substantial spice (think mulled cider), white pepper, barley syrup or perhaps light honey, and a bit of ash. Beautiful, uniform legs cascade evenly and cling for a long time. It’s light bodied for its age but not thin by any means, with a nice buttery feel. The finish is long, gently warming, and a little dry. There’s some lemon peel, pear skin, mild oak, and a tinge of peat at the end. All in all, it’s just a really nice malt whisky that’s not particularly challenging yet hard to forget. Nose: 9 Taste: 10 Body: 8.5 Finish: 9