Oban Little Bay

Let's get this off my chest to begin: I think Oban is a little overrated. People act like the best hooch in the galaxy comes off the stills there, and while I genuinely enjoy their whisky...I mean, c'mon. It's good, but not the mother of all whiskies. The Little Bay NAS, regardless of distillery reputation, is pretty darn tasty, however. The nose is pure fruit salad - honey, mint, apple, pear, a little something salty, a little squeeze of citrus. That's a pretty good picture of what you find on the palate, as well, opening sweet and fruity, then gradually ending with sea spray and lemon. The finish isn't particularly long, lingering, or complex, but it's a fine, easy sipper of a dram. I think the price tag I've seen for a bottle of this is obscene (Oban, in any stripe, is NOT a top-shelf, empty-my-wallet-to-get-some bottle), but I most certainly would not turn down a dram if it were offered to me.