Oban Little Bay

Me likely.

Nose: Red apple, pear, crushed buttercup, dusty dry hay, sherry fruits and faint car engine Palate: Fruit explosion – very berry, blackcurrant, blackberry, some salt and clove spiciness Finish: Orange chocolate, some lemon, oak and tea _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- Last 16, Match 3: Oban Little Bay versus Old Pulteney 12yo Overall I was pleasantly surprised with Oban Little Bay - it held together nicely. It has been a while since I had Oban 14yo but I can’t recall it being way better than this NAS. In the head-to-head with OP12 I liked the darker, richer nose of the Oban. However, the finish is dryer and more tannic and I consider the taste of OP to be better balanced. I just prefer the lighter citrus and sunshine taste of OP12. _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- I have too large a backlog of samples and miniatures to go through. Rather than being liberated by the banquet of choice available to me I become tyrannised and paralysed by it. But before you cry me a river, I have found a solution. I have selected sixteen scotch whiskies that are 12yrs or younger or NAS to battle it out in a Scotch Deathmatch. It’s my incentive to lighten the logjam. Follow along if you care (and really why should you?). Oh the drama! https://challonge.com/ScotchMadness

Rating: 16/23 I'm suspicious that I may have overrated this previously. We'll see though. N: It smells like Oban 14, but some needed fruit, giving it more richness and a new dimension. The brine is more subdued, but is still present and mixes well with the new strawberry flavor, which just barely avoids smelling like Welch's strawberry fruit snacks. There's some of that same meatiness, possibly with a dash of smoke, and a waft of sweet vanilla as well. A good nose. P: Sweet for sure and also fairly full. A Clynelish waxiness comes out of the tartness, adding an interesting dimension and helping balance out the strawberry. There's some malt, but it kind of has a bitterness that leads into a bit of herbal and somewhat meaty flavor. Some spices are there as well, with ginger, black pepper, and clove taking the lead and explaining some of the bitterness. It's balanced in a light and sweet but mature way, yet the complexity is not really there. A darned tasty palate though. F: The waxiness and bitter spice flavor remain alongside light strawberry sweetness. As it progresses, the brine comes back a bit, but the clove becomes more numbing. A solid finish. I've been torn on this one since I opened this bottle nearly a year and a half ago. I was blown away, then I thought that it tasted like a drink for kids. I now have to conclude that like Aberlour 12, this has a strawberry sweetness that is probably a bit much. Still, it's a smooth, refined dram with some good balance, an interesting profile, and decent complexity. Aberlour 12 tastes younger with a less unique profile (it's essentially cereal + bourbon barrel + short sherry finish) while this has a more mature flavor that enhances complexity, removes flaws, and highlights the characteristic Oban flavor. It's weird because they are quite similar, but this just tastes a lot better. How does this compare with Oban 14 though? Oban 14 is spicier and a bit more complex, but lacks that fruitiness and has a nice spring water sweetness that suggests youth. Honestly though, the quality is pretty close given the trade-offs. This might be a point higher, putting it at a 17, or it could be a 16 as well. I really appreciate Oban 14's uniqueness, but if these two had equally common flavor profiles, I think I'd prefer the Little Bay right now. Still, I recall months during which I preferred Oban 14 for its complexity. Right now, I'm very borderline, but both taste about as good as Redbreast and better than Connemara (again, weird comparisons, but they're on my mind) and neither is as good as Yellow Spot, so that tells me that they're both 16s.

Little peat with fruity bites

Smooth. Not very complex. Some chocolate notes mixed with the light smoke and oak flavors.

Generally weak and uninspiring. Not what I expected from a peated single malt. I’ll drink it, but I’m not going to like it.