Oban Little Bay

One of my favorites. Very smooth

Color: Golden Nectar (just a hint darker than Oban 14), thin long streaky legs - slightly oily Nose: Butterscotch, Fig Newtons (a medley of the bread and sweet fig paste), Citrus - but not the same sharp citrus as the 14. An overall sweeter, but less complex nose. Taste: Initial mildly sweet oily mouthfeel. A bitter bite (Cloves? Soap?) is present that cuts that initial sweetness. Bubbly citrus along with hints of vanilla and caramel. A touch of spice rounds out the palate. Finish: Along with the typical caramel sweetness that lingers on the tongue, the bitter note presents itself like a Grapefruit rind - almost neutralizing the palate and drying the mouth. Overall: This offering from Oban isn’t as sweet, and is more bitter than the 14. I enjoy the nose, and the bitterness is a nice changeup, but would rather spend the extra ~$15 for what I consider to be a much better dram. (5/3/20)

Very mellow

Nose: pear, sea air with a hint of smoke, vegetal - maybe asparagus Taste: predominant word that comes to mind is “bright” as there’s a refreshing feel to it but not as much citrus as that might imply - there’s a little lemon but like if you gave a quick squeeze of lemon over asparagus before serving, a light honey, salty, a tinge of smoke late, flowers? Finish: apple jolly rancher - not that level of sweetness but that flavor versus a real apple, briny, that flowery note lingers as well After reading reviews: the nose and taste notes from Distiller make sense for me except confectioner sugar on the nose (and Flaviar’s cake) - this was much fruitier than sweet for me, I don’t get the spice notes on the finish though, Flaviar notes carrots so there’s the vegetal note that stuck out to me. Overall, this is nice and complex. I prefer the higher levels of both peat and sweet in Oban 14, however. When this was priced in the $30s, it was a great value but not as much in the $50s now.

Mellow. Well balanced. Candied citrus. Fruity. Extremely smooth and approachable. Slightly complex, considering how smooth and delicate it is. A wonderful $29 purchase. Juicy Fruit gum???