Ardbeg An Oa Review

It’s not every day that Ardbeg releases a new whisky into its core range. Since 2009, Ardbeg’s standard lineup has consisted of their 10 year old, Uigeadail, and Corryvreckan. But a few months ago, Ardbeg surprised the whisky world by introducing a fourth expression—An Oa. Named after the Mull of Oa, which sits at the most southerly point on the island of Islay, An Oa (pronounced “an oh”) is a combination of whiskies of different cask types—including Pedro Ximénez (PX), virgin oak, and ex-Bourbon—that have been married in a French oak vat. From a price standpoint, An Oa sits towards to bottom of the range, generally being a bit more expensive than the 10 year, but costing less than the Oogie and Corry.

Interesting note about the Mull of Oa: During World War I, two American troop ships—the Tuscania and the Otranto—sank off the coast of Islay. To commemorate the lost ships, an American Monument was built on the Oa overlooking the spot where the Tuscania sank. The monument is built in the shape of a lighthouse and is visible from many areas on Islay.

An Oa has generated a lot of mixed reactions from Ardbeg fans on the interwebs. While there are some fans who will always celebrate a new release from Ardbeg, there are also quite a few people who are not happy that Ardbeg has released another no age statement (NAS) whisky and have voiced much skepticism about its quality (without having tried it). Although I’m not a fan of the concept of NAS (who doesn’t want an age statement?), Ardbeg does have a pretty good track record in the category—Uigeadail and Corryvreckan are both highly regarded amongst whisky fans and are generally considered to be examples of  “good” NAS.

I went into An Oa with an open mind and a bit of excitement. Yep, I wish it wasn’t NAS, but still… it’s a new Ardbeg at a reasonable price point. Let’s see how it stacks up.

Ardbeg An Oa Review

Type: Single Malt Scotch
Region: Islay
ABV: 46.6% 
Non chill-filtered 

Nose

Pungent peat smoke… really quite smoky, even by Ardbeg standards. Typical Ardbeg notes of tar, motor oil, burnt rubber, ink, oak, and earthiness, along with a little apricot and a touch of sea breeze. Fairly simplistic, but if you like Ardbeg, you will feel at home here.

Palate

Dirty, smoky peat. All of the notes from the nose are also found on the palate—tar, motor oil, burnt rubber, ink, and earth. But there’s more to be found here. Hints of sherry. Cherry cough syrup. Light orchard fruits. Quite a bit of lime. Menthol. Vanilla, with a bit of caramel. On the backend of the palate, the PX cask sweetness makes itself known, but is never all that prominent. Still, the PX is there and rather nice.

In spite of the big sounding notes, this is somewhat thin and light (at least compared to other heavily peated Islay whiskies). It does not taste like 46.6% ABV—I would have guessed 40%. Tastes too watered down. Enjoyable nonetheless, but leaves you wanting something more.

Finish

Slightly astringent and bitter. Menthol. Stale tobacco. Unflavored cough syrup. A little apricot. A good amount of citrus, particularly lime. More tar and rubber. Beef jerky. Medium to long in length.

Overall

When I first opened this bottle and poured a dram, I was underwhelmed and disappointed. It seemed simplistic and very thin. I wasn’t a fan. If I had reviewed this based on only that first pour, I would have given it a low score (I wrote down 78/100 during my initial tasting). But as I worked my way through the bottle, An Oa opened up and showed me some nice depth and balance. You can really pick out the different types of casks used—vanilla and caramel from the bourbon, fruity sweetness from the PX, char from the virgin oak, and a bitter bite from the French oak. That said, this whisky begs to be bottled at a higher ABV. The flavors are there, but are too watered down.

In spite of its weaknesses, An Oa is a nice showcase of what Ardbeg can offer. Big tarry and oily notes balanced by gentle sweetness. This is also a great example of how you can’t always judge a whisky from a single tasting. Although it’s still not one of my favorites, it really improved quite drastically after the bottle had been opened for a few weeks.

SCORE: 83/100

Final Thoughts

Although this is not my favorite Ardbeg, it actually is a pretty nice overview of what Ardbeg is all about. It has tons of typical Ardbeg character—tarry, oily, inky, earthy peat smoke. Throw in a little sweet sherry and bitter oakiness, and you get a quick summary of the entire Ardbeg range. My biggest complaint is that the palate is too thin. Although this is bottled at a decent ABV of 46.6%, it drinks like a 40% ABV whisky. The watery nature of the palate drags the score down. If this were bottled at cask strength, it might be amazing.

Buy again? Maybe. But rarely. When I first stared drafting this review, my buying recommendation was going to be a firm no. But I really have started to enjoy this more with every pour. Although I do think it’s the weakest link in the Ardbeg lineup, I could see myself craving this every now and then. Nonetheless, if you’re only going to buy one Ardbeg, my recommendation would be to skip this and get the 10 year instead. Or better yet, spend a little more money and get the Uigeadail or Corryvreckan. That said, An Oa is a solid whisky and a bottle I’m happy to have on the shelf. If you are a big Ardbeg fan, it’s worth a try.

Questions about my scoring system? Refer to the Review Method & Scoring Scale page.

For more reviews, check out the Whisky Review Archive.

Enjoying the content on Meade Mule? Help keep the drink reviews flowing by supporting me on Patreon.