Oban Little Bay

Stop number 15 on the SDT is Oban. Oban is a Highland distillery but they fancy themselves as a "western highland coastal distillery". Little Bay is a NAS expression that weighs in at 43% ABV and as far as I know it is chill filtered and has colorant added. The color is an orange gold. Oban is Gaelic for "little bay". So this is my review of Little Bay from Little Bay. The nose is ripe with oranges, clementines, apricots and tangerines. Bright and citrusy. Dried mango and fresh cantaloupe. Lemon peel and honey. Basically it's a liquid fruit bowl. Raisins and dates show up a while later. A little malty with light oak and vanilla cream. After about 5 seconds of nosing this whisky I immediately likened it to the Cragganmore 12 year old I reviewed a few weeks ago. Incredibly similar but the Oban has a stronger orange note. The palate mimics the nose. Lots of orange and tangerine. Very light pepper and almost no oak presence. It's sweet but not sticky sweet, just enough to satisfy your sweet tooth. Again this is a similar profile to the Cragganmore. Medium bodied mouthfeel that is a little oily but turns dry. The finish is medium short, dry and fruity with a little bitterness. This was my first from Oban so I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I did know most people got the strong orange notes. I'm happy with it, it's a great scotch for people who might not be too keen on scotch. Fairly light, fruity, and easy to drink. Good for the scotch snob too. Enough complexity to keep you coming back for more. I have to say though, the Cragganmore is nearly as good and can be purchased at a lower price. Tough call, I'd grab either one depending on the status of my wallet. Thanks to Ryan for the sample. This review ends round one of the Scotch Distillery Tour. Round two starts in about 6 weeks. Can't wait!