Ardbeg An Oa is the latest addition to Ardbeg core range. It was released in late 2017 and I totally neglected to review it till now.

Despite the hope we’d get an older Ardbeg with an age statement (say 15 or 18 Year Old), Ardbeg An Oa is like Corryvreckan and Uigeadail and doesn’t carry an age statement. So it’s a NAS whisky and it contains spirit that was aged in PX sherry casks and bourbon barrels that were married together in a French oak vat. Let’s check it out:

Ardbeg An Oa (46.6%, £48.95/€47,90/$52.99)

Nose: Sweet, rounded and restrained (relatively to all those modern Ardbeg) peat, a bit of lemon, honey, a touch of vanilla, smoke, apricot, herbal notes after a while with mint and aniseed. Very approachable.

Palate: Peat, dry ashes, smoke , apricot and peaches, peppery and dry, honey and mint freshness at the end.

Finish: Medium length, peat, smoke, ashy, oak spices, mint freshness and honey.

Thoughts: Definitely far more rounded and gentler than the other core expressions. A good introductionary Ardbeg for beginners before they move on to the 10 Year Old or Uigeadail.