An Oa is named after the Mull of Oa in the south west of Islay, which offers the Kildaton coast (where Ardbeg distillery is situated) some protection from the worst the Atlantic has to offer! As such, Ardbeg An Oa is intended to show a more approachable side to Ardbeg single malt that's as rounded as the Oa peninsula, without losing the characteristic distillery style. In the summer of 2017 this became the first addition to Ardbeg's core range in over a decade.
Maturation took place in a combination of casks including Pedro Ximénez, charred virgin oak and ex-bourbon, which were all brought together to marry in Dr. Bill Lumsden's new 'Gathering Vat'!
This sweet, creamy Ardbeg offers notes of butterscotch, fennel seed, tobacco leaf, Honey Nut Clusters and hints of mixed boiled sweets (fruit, Everton mint and menthol). The citrus notes are subtle and rich, coming through as flourless orange cake.
Still plenty of peaty oomph, although perhaps lighter in body. Notes of cigars and golden syrup flapjacks with sweet black tea on the tail and hints of chocolate limes.
Smoky treacle lingers with a little peanut brittle.
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Smooth, peppery, creamy sweetness. Almost in the middle of a classic 10 year old and Uigeadil, constantly pulling in both directions. Became even better after letting it sit for a while in a nosing class.
Ardbeg quality as always. Less peat but great balance. A must buy.
Not a great whisky. Too sweet. Lacks balance, subtlety. May impress a novice.
If you like sweet Islay peat, particularly Ardbeg's other 'Ultimate' whiskeys, do yourself a favour and get a bottle of this. Don't be scared by the mention of peat if you've had other smokey whiskeys that weren't to your liking, here the smoke is by no means overpowering because it's so well balanced, and provides so much luscious sweetness. Any reviewer who comments that this is overpriced because it has NAS shows their ignorance. Not to mention falling for one of the biggest marketing ploys used by distillers to sell whiskey. Garbage that's been sitting in an oak barrel for 30 years will still come out as garbage, so to presume that time in the barrel means better flavour or complexity is a load of crap. I've tasted plenty of AS whiskeys over 25 years old that cost a fortune and tasted worse and more one dimensional than plenty of 10 year old whiskeys. You could argue that the benefit of NAS is that the distiller can pull the whiskey when it's at its best, rather than having to leave it in the barrel a specific time to put an AS on the bottle. Some examples of incredible NAS whiskey's, which An Oa sits in the company of, that I'd put up against any AS whiskey regardless of age are Ardbeg's other 'Ultimate' range (Uigeadail, Corryvreckan), Aberlour A'bunadh, Glenfarclas 105.
This needs to sit in the glass and good 15 mins after pouring to access the full range of aromas and flavours. Ardbeg signatures stick out like a sore thumb and whilst it's enjoyable I'd rather have the 10 any day. It's a poor man's uigeadail and to be honest you'll be more satisfied spending the little extra and getting that. Still a fantastic dram though
