Nose: An Oa begins with a powerful note of oily, dense peat smoke that can be somewhat difficult for the inexperienced to move past. Those who can are rewarded with a mineral salinity, bright flashes of lemon and cedar, with a beautiful finish of vanilla and anise. Taste: A smooth marble of smoke, oak, and butterscotch is my initial impression of An Oa on the tongue, with some edge eccentricities of barrel char and iodine. With a little bit of water to crack it open, you find a creamy center of honey and maple candied bacon with a dash of cayenne. Ardbeg An Oa has a lingering finish of rising smoke and smooth, sweet butterscotch with an oily, dense body.