Here's my newest acquisition. Ardbeg is a distillery on the Scottish island of Islay (pronounced "eelah") known for producing an intensely flavored and heavily peated scotch typical of that area. An Oa is one of their offerings with no age statement, a blend of different casks intended to produce a specific flavor profile that the distillery has been issuing for the past few years. Others in this series include Corryvreckan, Uigeadail ("Ooga"), and Wee Beastie, in addition to their regular aged offerings. I've had the regular 10 year old and was definitely impressed.
The palate is smoke, malt, and dried fruit; I'm also detecting notebook paper in the lengthy finish. For an alcohol content of 46.6% it's remarkably smooth with almost no burn, even without adding water. Definitely worth the $60 I paid locally if you want to try something more demanding and rewarding.
