Small Cask NAS Official Release | 43% ABV

Déjà Vu

On the Saturday evening after my first week of work here in North Carolina, I was sitting on the balcony of our new accommodation, alone. My better half was still back in Connecticut dealing with the sale of our house while I had to travel south by myself to start my new job.  

As I sat there, watching the sun set with amazingly bold splashes of colour, I couldn’t help but think that this would be a time where my wife and I would reach for a dram. That nice evening was not too different from sitting out on our back deck in Connecticut, when we would regularly take the time to sit and enjoy the nature around us while sipping a dram.  

I walked inside and made my way to the counter separating the living room from the kitchen. The counter is where I’d kept four open bottles and one canister with an unopened bottle within. I wondered what I should pour, and my eye was drawn to the canister of baby blue.

Before going further, I can hear the inquisitive comments about having a selection of only five bottles from which to choose; it was a dark whisky time, for sure. I brought five bottles of my pared-down whisky cabinet when I made my initial drive to North Carolina. While my preference would be to have all the whisky with me, I did manage to have an adult moment and realised that I would need room in my car for work essentials only. It was a tough decision, but I also knew I was scheduled to return to Connecticut in three weeks’ time, and at that time the rest of my malt reserves would be heading south with me.  

So, back to the blue canister. The whisky was a going away present from my dear friend, Amy. She is a member of my whisky club and had been more than a little vocal about her displeasure that I was leaving town. The last time I met up with her before heading down to North Carolina, she reminded me that I was a no-good scoundrel (I’m being polite; she used much more colourful language) and then shoved this baby blue canister of a West Highland whisky in my hand. Big hug, again, and a kiss on the cheek. As she got into her car, I could hear her calling out, “I hope you like it as much as I did!”

And so, that evening with the sun setting, I decided I should open the Highland in the canister, even though I had noticed it to be a Diageo product. 

Despite the fact that Amy had endorsed it, truth be told, Diageo products elicit from me a mandatory moment of pause. Why, you ask? Here we have 43% ABV. Chill filtered. Added colour. NAS. Based on those specs, while I do try to keep an open mind, I had doubts that I would enjoy what would be in my glass. Call it conditioning, call it observational awareness…but those initial bits of information were sticking through my thoughts.

Over recent times there has been a steady rise in the hue and cry from whisky enthusiasts against bottles and brands that insist on using premiumised and over-priced marketing strategies for liquid that is also often ultimately neutered and coloured. And Diageo is among the producers that is seemingly most often in the crosshairs of those hueing and crying.

I completely understand why Diageo catches the ire of many. While they have not been alone in their terribly vexing marketing, pricing, and production strategies, it seems it’s the one name that garners the lightning rod of attention. The pricing and neutering with which Diageo treats its whiskies – the enshittification, as Wally has covered – has been well documented and recounted through reviews and commentaries online, WhiskyTube and in the reviews here at Dramface. Examples such as Dougie’s Mortlach 16 year old review and Wally’s review for the 2021 Oban 12 year old Special Release among many.

Adding insult to injury is the fact that we all know that among the distilleries under Diageo’s umbrella, they have some of the best in the industry. And yet, Diageo’s production mandates seemingly compel the neutering of these magnificent whiskies.  

My first experience with Benrinnes, one of Diageo’s lesser represented gems, truly opened my eyes to the production end of these dynamics and contradictions. Their pricing and marketing tactics have nauseated me over the past few years – with examples of Lagavulin and Talisker, in particular, in the forefront of my thoughts. Thus, as said, seeing the name Diageo on my baby blue canister gave more than a moment’s pause.

Because it is a Diageo product, and because of its specs, I had walked past this expression many times at various stores. I had seen it regularly on shelves, but always passed on it. After another moment’s pause, I removed the bottle from the canister, and uncorked it.

With all indications trending towards a less-than-enjoyable experience, I poured a dram, let it sit for a few minutes, and then put the glass to my nose.

Review

Oban Little Bay, NAS Official Release, 43% ABV
Prices from US$55 to $95 (around £65 - £75 UK) widely available.

Nose

A rather pleasant surprise. I was expecting something “less than”, or ordinary, at best. What I was greeted with was an initial hit of funk; good funk. Ripened banana and orange marmalade. Stewed peaches and apricots. Vanilla creme. Toffee and ginger. Salted caramel. Clove.

Palate

Ripened and sweet fruits layered with vanilla and malt. Spiced date nut bread. That Oban coastal salinity is there, and is lovely. It’s not quite waxy, but hinting in that direction. Orange marmalade. Peppery ginger. Ripe Golden Delicious apples. Browned butter on that date nut bread. Butterscotch, toffee and cream…maybe a butter creme? White stone fruits. Malty and fruity. A nice, but sweet - maybe too sweet? - and welcoming blend of flavours. Overlaying it all is a very nice mouthfeel – one which I thought wouldn’t happen as this is a 43% ABV whisky that has been chill-filtered, thank goodness for worm tubs!

As noted, this pour is on the sweet side, and if you are not in the mood for such a whisky, then it may turn folk off. It is, however, a welcoming and safe malt and an easy sipper.

The Dregs

I feel naughty. I feel a bit wrong. I feel as if I am letting the whisky community down by not hating this and, moreover, I am enjoying it.  This is another Benrinnes moment for me.

On paper, all indications would point to something I would not get along with.  And yet, this is good.  It has character, good flavour and, despite its 43% ABV, it has a good mouthfeel. 

I shift my thoughts to its older brother. It’s been a while since I have had an Oban 14 on my shelf, but I do remember it. That bottle has not been back on my shelf as it has been “Diageo-ed” in my book.  Now overpriced at $95  the last time I saw it in Connecticut, it too was 43% ABV, chill filtered, and coloured. Oban 14 is a good bottle. Just as with my Benrinnes before it, I was nonetheless frustrated as it was good liquid that had been stripped and tampered with. The ever-present thought for both the Benrinnes and the Oban 14 is wondering what could have been if Diageo had provided the whisky as naturally presented. In the case of Oban 14, the bottle was also over-priced.

Comparing this Little Bay NAS expression to my memory of the Oban 14, I think this NAS is, quite frankly, as good, if not slightly better than the Oban 14. Here, the fruit component seems a bit more pronounced and there is a bit more of an “oomph”, if you will.  Oban 14 is lovely and mellow. This Little Bay, to me, is not only a bit sweeter (which is not always a thing I want) but from my memory of the Oban 14, the flavours seem to be richer and more pronounced.  The smaller casks used – as noted on the bottom front of the label (see photos and text below) – seem to have done something interesting here. The oranges, the peaches and apricots, and the butter cream marry well with the Oban coastal salinity and its underlying maltiness, browned butter, and vanilla. I did not expect this, at all.

Of course, after going through more of this first bottle, some more Diageo-related frustration began to seep out. There is little-to-no information about this expression. The Oban website does not speak to any maturation, distilling, or other useful information about this expression. However, going through the Oban website did remind me as to one prominent reason why I do enjoy this brand of whisky. Oban is one of the few distilleries still using worm tubs. Even with the chill filtration, what is in my glass retains a body that surprises.  

I have no idea what kind of casks are used, I have no idea how long this whisky has been aged, nor how long any particular cask is utilised. The canister and bottle label state that this whisky is “distilled in small batches and slowly married in our smallest casks for distinctively deep smoothness and fruity richness of flavour.” Again, how many batches? How small are Oban's smallest casks? How long were the different batches aged in those wee casks? Do I really ask these questions and expect someone at Diageo will provide helpful answers?

As I said/railed in my Benrinnes review, I would so love to have a bottle of this whisky before it was tinkered with – before it was diluted and chill filtered. I can only imagine how wonderful it would be, having now experienced this at 43% and with it being chill-filtered. It makes me shake my head over and over at what could be.

This, of course, fuels my feeling of being naughty.  I feel naughty because I am enjoying this Diageo product. I shouldn’t feel naughty, but there it is. I feel as if this is some sort of confession. I must realise I need to shake my otherwise irrepressible curiosity to know what this whisky was before it was neutered.  When I can just focus on what is in my glass, I recognise this whisky is quite pleasant and easy. When I don’t want a complicated dram, this is a nice sipper. No one will mistake it for Springbank, Benromach, Glen Garioch, Bladnoch, or any other more complex or dense whisky. Certainly not. This is accessible, mellow, fruity, sweet, and as said; an easy sipper. 

In fact, this bottle has impressed and surprised me a bit. The bottle I received from Amy has been rinsed, after sharing with a neighbour and my son. They each swung by at different times to pay a visit, both commented on how nice and easy a drink this was. When I returned to Connecticut to pack up, I bought a replacement.  

For social gatherings this would do splendidly. Frankly, when I host people who are not usually into whisky or are quite happy not being challenged by whiskies, this Little Bay will do the trick along with the likes of Compass Box’ Orchard House, Redbreast 12, and Tomatin 12. I will save my Springbank, Benromach, Glen Garioch, and Bladnoch for those times with folks interested in, and looking for, more complicated and serious fare.  No doubt I’ll take my own share of this Little Bay over time, as well, when I want something simple.

I mentioned that I had seen this bottle on the shelf in the past year or so before Amy had purchased it for me. From my memory, this bottle was always priced between $55 and $60 USD. Even though I saw it on the shelves, I never brought one home as other bottles had better specs or came with recommendations from friends or reviews. This bottle that I am reviewing was listed in Connecticut for $57. At that price, this was a solid value proposition – something that is an anomaly for Diageo, these days. I could get over the production end shenanigans if the prices didn’t make me recoil.

However, as good news does not align with Diageo often, we are now back in the Diageo revulsion category.   

As I sit here in North Carolina writing this review, I wanted to see what the price would be when I make my drive to South Carolina (the closest non-ABC state).  Much to my chagrin, when I looked online earlier today for prices in South Carolina for Oban’s Little Bay, at best it is listed for, $80 USD. If I were to buy it online, the price, according to my Google search, is anywhere between $80 and $120 USD.  If that is the “new normal” for this bottle, I will renew my cursing of Diageo. I am not sure how/why I could find this for years in Connecticut for $57 and now everywhere else it is at least an additional $25-$30 a bottle.  Maddening…and, frankly, inexcusable for this whisky.

This is a solid 6/10 whisky at the price I am used to seeing it in Connecticut, and for which I purchased my bottle. If the price for this bottle is $80 and higher, this is barely that and more likely a 5/10; average.

If you can find this for the price I bought this bottle, I can recommend it. It’s a good, easy sipper that you’ll find yourself going back to more than you may think.

If, like me after my move, you can’t find this at the better price, it just fuels that feeling of enshittification. I will raise and shake my fist at Diageo. I will mutter bad words and phrases, wishing Diageo would actually provide us their whiskies at reasonable prices with natural presentations. I’m not holding my breath.

If the whisky is, indeed, now marketed at $80 and up, I will simply be just another whisky enthusiast who is wholly disappointed and frustrated in yet another Diageo product and will keep my money for other bottles.

Score: 6/10

Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. OS

Other opinions on this:

GWhisky (YouTube)
Erik Wait (YouTube)

Whiskybase

Got a link to a reliable review? Tell us.