Oban Little Bay

Light and breezy with no finish

Peaty, salty, very nice

Today's review is of the Oban Little Bay single malt whisky. As you may know, Oban is Gaelic for "Little Bay", so this is the Little Bay Little Bay. It's a NAS single malt that apparently takes Oban small batches and finishes them in smaller oak casks. It's bottled at 43% ABV and does alright at that level, though a little more ABV and a little less chill filtration would be appreciated. I picked this up for $39 and was happy to be able to try something new at that price. Thoughts and rating below: ⠀ ⠀ 🥃 Oban Little Bay - 43% ABV ⠀ Nose: Fruity, jammy, bubblegum, seasalt taffy, some smoke, a little maltiness, ⠀ ⠀ Taste: This whisky has a nice tropical fruit flavor - maybe toasted coconut and grilled pineapple. Equally present is a roasted smokiness. During my firsting, I thought of roasted peanuts, but it's not quite that oily or salty. Maybe more of a toasted pecans thing. Hints of salt, young barley, and floral notes poke out here and there and make for a complex whisky. It's also got a bit of a perfumed black tea thing going on. There is some noticeable heat and the tasting ends with drier fruity notes and get a little peppery. Many flavors, but not necessarily all harmonius. ⠀ The mouthfeel is light and the finish is pretty short. The dry coconut and pepper notes fade away into kind of a delicate sweet floral nothingness. ⠀ I think that this whisky's weakest aspect is its finish, but it's certainly interesting and stands out as unique compared to others Highlands and Island whiskys I've tried. Somewhere in between a sherried speyside and a smoky coastal highland. I think a little oxidation has improved this from last time. It's very drinkable. I'm not sure if I would buy it again even for the $39 i got it for, but that's mostly just because I like to try new things! ⠀ 1st rating: 79/100 Latest rating: 84/100 ⠀ What do you think of the Oban Little Bay?

Nose of apricot and processed sugar syrup Quick, dry finish. Hint of maple and oak. Overall straight forward, not a whole lot of depth

Not bad, but doesn’t exactly blow my socks off. I get citrus, poached pears, cinnamon and oak. At $60 in my area, there are better single malt options. Still, if you are an Obama fan and this is significantly less than the 14 in your area, you might want to give it a try.

The Oban Little Bay is a very smooth and approachable dram. There is a lot of stewed fruit or for the Mennonites out there Obst Mousse on the nose hailing largely from the sherry influence. There is a sweet viscosity on the palate as well which enhances the smoothness of the dram. There is a lengthy finish with hints of apricot and prune that is quite enjoyable. This is a great scotch for those looking to start drinking scotch as it is very well balanced and easy to drink. However, it is still an interesting scotch and a nice change of pace from the heavy Islay peat bombs for the experienced scotch drinker.