Little Bay

The last two Obans I had were quite nice, so I figured I’d give this a try. But too bad, I don’t like it. It has got some of the apple fruitiness I like from the 14YO, but less of it, and some bitter oaky off notes. It’s also noticeably much younger, which also doesn’t help. I’ll keep it at one dram.

A simple whisky, without major flaw, but one-dimensional and completely forgettable. Enthusiasm 3/5 Whisky n ° 1363

Not too complex, understated malt.

I have tasted the 14-year-old Oban alongside this one several times, but the Little Bay is superior and also cheaper. A very nice, sweet, chocolatey single malt. A whisky I always enjoy returning to, consistently good, even though I feel the newer bottlings are a touch inferior to the older ones. But which distillery occasionally improves the quality?

Unparalleled whisky, smells in the smell and then hopelessly sinks - the price is a complete ride in terms of quality

have to taste it head to head with the 14yo and I certainly need a second tasting for that one. 86/100 for now

Tasted at Story Tellers: Tasting Whisky in January 2017

I like this one objectively its not great whisky but, I find myself coming back to it the most often in past two months out all off other whiskies.

I feel underwhelmed instead of obanized.

S 6.5 At 43% this delivers sufficient body and strength on the palate. However, the diluted ABV has rendered the finish quite thin and boring. It does not attract me to look for a bottle or another dram. 81-85 - Another dram welcomed

Nice barrel influence on the nose, vanilla yogurt, walnut cake, fresh fruit, yellow apples, mirabelle plums, Comices pears, a pinch of salt and a puff of smoke. Beeswax, a citrus zest, creamy notes. On the palate, raisin brioche, fruit cake, pastry cream, blood oranges, crunchy cereals, discreet spices, cloves, gray pepper. Correctly long finish, a little dusty, spicy, meringue, floating island with its custard, old wood, rosemary and mistletoe. I find it very successful and I prefer it to the 14 year old. It is more frank, more intense, more character, the profile of the distillery appears to us more clearly. https://ilikesky2020.blogspot.com/2024/11/oban-little-bay.html

Nosing Orange, a hint of salt, honey, and malt. After a while in the glass, these basic aromas begin to dance and reveal their beautiful sides. Tasting Not too broad in the body. Notes of salt and black pepper, accompanied by honey with grapefruit, a hint of cinnamon, and cardamom. Finish Slightly bitter citrus spice at the end, relatively short finish.

A typical representative of the Highlands, but not in the most outstanding performance.

The whisky was caught in a blind tasting. Overall, I can't say that I was particularly impressed by Oban Little Bay, it didn't leave a strong impression in my memory, but overall the whisky is not bad. Perhaps I should try it again, it's not always possible to taste and understand the whisky well the first time. 20.5 21 20.5 20

The flavors are correct but come across as a bit muted and shy.

One level for me with the 14 years old, fine, but thin.

Smell: the beginning is familiar canned yellow peach + butter cake, a little smoke, fine salt, sweet and sour juice, a little alcohol. Oak, dried apricots, lemon cheese tart. 86/100 Taste: The opening is particularly sweet, with canned yellow peaches, fruit hard candies, pineapple crisps, fruit pie, orange juice, and then there is salt and smoke, and the saltiness is not low. Ginger syrup, sawdust. 87/100 Body: Slightly strong, full, fat, astringent 86/100 Ending rhyme: Eight Treasures Candy, Sawdust, Butter Toast, Brown Sugar 85/100 Overall: 86/100, full flavor and clear layers. The taste of yellow fruits is particularly obvious, fresh and lively, as if tasting yellow peach syrup, as well as the sweet and sour pineapple sauce. I'm really happy to drink this wine after going around.

This is a triple-matured whisky that has an easy starting and hard finish. In my pre-historical scoring method, it's an 8.8/10.

Parallel aging in bourbon and sherry barrels, followed by marriage in 125-litre barrels (sawn from bourbon barrels). Wonderful whisky! Price/quality is excellent! It's as if there is some small amount of smoky malt in the mash. 21 22 20.5 20.5

Dark gold in color. Slightly oily in texture.

It's really interesting that Oban can produce such a smoky flavor from such a low ppm malt. This bottling could be interesting for entry-level users; the character of a distillery with character like Oban is felt, but I think it could quickly become outdated due to its lack of complexity. Price-performance ratio: Medium, Medium-Low. Would I buy it again?: I mostly found it at the upper end of the price range, and to be honest, I can't say it's worth buying at those prices.

a dram that had the distinction of having had 110h of fermentation, to rest in a smaller barrel of bourbon and sherry (I'm still looking!), but which disappoints by its lack of flavors!

In the nose still quite appealing, the taste and finish could not convince me unfortunately. Unfortunately, this whisky is not my case.

A quite odd NAS from Oban, less complex than the 14 y.o., but full of warm fruits hints. The nose switches from predominant bitter almonds to more sweet notes, while palate opens up with sherry and fresh citrus, without losing the typical profile of the distillery. Finish is a bit short, but the overall impression is quite good for a NAS. Not so expensive, but in a quality/price ratio the 14 y.o. always wins by far.

Tasted in distillery initially then got a bottle for further exploration. A soft, honeyed, bourbon-influenced malt that leans into comfort, texture, and natural sweetness. The nose opens with honey, vanilla, malt, and light citrus, giving a clean, approachable impression. On the palate it develops into a waxy, oily mouthfeel with a solid cereal backbone and gentle orchard fruit (apple, baked apple, soft citrus). Layers of honey butter, barley sugar, caramel, brioche, and oatmeal creaminess build a rounded, dessert-like profile without becoming heavy. The finish is medium in length, fading from honeyed cereal into a slightly bittersweet oak edge, providing just enough structure to keep everything in balance. Overall impression A rounded, buttery, easy-going single malt with standout texture and comforting sweetness. Not especially complex. A enjoyable coastal Highland malt with attractive honeyed citrus notes and a pleasant maritime edge. One can’t help but wonder how much more this whisky could offer at 46%, non-chill filtered and naturally coloured. Easy-drinking and crowd-pleasing, though ultimately a bit restrained.Given all that Oban remains as a top 10 favourites especially the IB bottlings.

Definitely the 14yo gets the advantage. The Little Bay costs even more than this and offers no reason for me to invest more money here.

Matured in refill American oak hogsheads, European oak ex-sherry casks and refill casks with new ends. Married in small oak casks. Chill-filtered, colour added. Thick fast slowly forming straight primary legs. Mid-size very slow secondary legs. Tiny droplets. Water pushes up the nuttiness on the nose and savoury notes on the palate. Benefits from oxidation in uncorked bottle. A very complex dram. Characterful single malt.

The average rating of around 81 is too low. It needs to breathe a little in the bottle or in the glass. Although it is a quarter cask, I get notes of a port finish. It is tasty. I think, that the Finlaggan Port Finished performs slightly better at about half the price

Slightly Oily. Sweet fruit, mint, and salt on the nose.

25.11.2022

The nose is very fruity! Bright fruits, light smoke, and very sweet. But the taste is completely different. Slightly fruity at first, then smoky and very spicy. A hint of coffee in the finish.

The name refers to the bay in which the village and the distillery are located. The whisky was matured in small barrels (probably quarter casks). Color: dark gold Conclusion: smells better and more complex than it tastes. A light, pleasant whisky

The aroma is straightforward sweetness, fruit, floral and candy notes. Honeyiness, restrained amount of spices. In the background, if you let your imagination run wild, are roasted nuts. Taste - volume, sweetness, preserved fruit, then a salty texture. Sea notes mixed with sugar. After the first sip, wine notes appear, but not raisins, but fresh grape skins. Over time, the oak, paint, and aroma disintegrate into alcoholicity. The aftertaste is dry, slightly caustic, with a feeling of moisture being sucked out of the mouth.

reminds me of Old Pulteney 12- in comparison boring - but not weak, just not very appealing, too bitter to me, no real false note but for me a clear non-purchase

Here my basic idea with the NAS bottles gets the full confirmation. It feels like a copy of the 14 year old. The 14 is better.

- a thoroughly drinkable, pleasant NAS malt - good and tasty, a bit rounder and milder than the 14 J. Bottling (although the 14-year-old has more draft and is more complex) - but for about 50 € the bottle must be more in it! - is on par with various other Standard 10 up to 12 years whisky in the price segment 30 - 35€

blind tasting Clearly perceptible alcohol bites the nose. Behind it is a very strong herbal note. Cooling with anise and menthol. Smells like a classic Highland Ex Bourbon cask maturation. It looks dusty and dry. What irritates me is a minimal smoky note that I think I can feel. This is also not a spiciness that could be confused. strange nose Starts quite sweet on the tongue. Again clear alcohol, which is caught relatively quickly by a spicy, slightly bitter oak note. Then it gets very dry very quickly. But the sweetness remains. And now the smoky note really comes through. Subtle but clearly noticeable. The alcohol is now much better integrated on the tongue. Relatively dry, malty on the finish. Looks much older now than it did on the nose. The oak is very pronounced. I like it very much. Significantly better than the 14yo at least.

It is rare that I give out the whisky twice in two tries. Too bad, not my key at all.

As a fan of the 14-year-old and the DE, I am of the opinion that this whisky would not have needed it honestly. It looks set and constructed with rather moderate aromas in the nose. The bitterness on the palate holds up too long for my taste as if you were chewing directly on orange and blood orange peel. Pretty unimaginative and unbalanced - 30.05.2018

Since the Little Bay often gets off badly (especially compared to the 14-year-old), I would like to break a (small) lance for him here. Tasted it last night against the 14 and the Distillers Edition 2000/2015. Conclusion: It has all the characteristics of the 14er, overall it is rather on the sweet, malty side; no smoke. In terms of complexity, it doesn't quite reach the 14s, but I don't find unpleasant bitterness or harsh alcohol. For me it is a straightforward, straightforward, sometimes even delicious, entry-level whisky that is perfect to drink. BUT: A big criticism for me is the price of the Little Bay. Completely incomprehensible to me, why it costs as much or partly more than the 14-year-old (approx. 40-45 €, status Feb 2019). Compared to the core bottling, in my opinion, for a less complex NAS whisky ~ 35 € would be just about adequate. I would buy it on offer, but certainly not for the normal price.

A very decent but still quite young malt - it doesn't quite come close to the 14-year-old either!!

A NAS I can't get mad at and would always accept if offered a glass. So yeah, this works.