Scotland, Western Highlands: Single malt whisky through the producing distilleries: history, making, production and tasting notes

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Oban

The distillery

Oban distillery

Oban Distillery
Oban
Argyll PA34 5NH
+44 1631 572 004
Owner: United Distillers & Vintners (Diageo) Ltd
Creation date1794

photos

The Oban distillery is settled in the very heart of the charming harbour town of the same name, facing the Isle of Mull. It has been build in 1794 by the Stevenson brothers, Hugh, John and James. The Stevenson family also founded the city of Oban.
In 1866, the distillery become property of Peter Cumstie, who sold it to Walter Higgin in 1883. The latter modernised the distillery.
He decided to hollow out the rocks near the distillery to make new warehouses, but the works were stopped after an archaeological discovery, notably human remains dating 4500 years BC. This remains are exposed in the National Museum of Antiquities in Edinburgh.
The distillery has been acquired by the owner of Aultmore distillery to create the group Oban and Aultmore-Glenlivet Ltd was.
The Dewar's group became owner in 1823. In 1930, the Dewar's group was incorporated in SMD which is nowadays part of UDV, the current owner of the distillery
Oban has been mothballed from 1931 to 1937, during World War II and from 1969 to 1972.
Most of the ferries going to the Hebrides islands start from Oban. Its single malt became famous thanks to the Classic Malts collection launched in 1988, but the major part of the production is used in blends, among others Bell's.

The whisky

A propos des notes de dégustation Your own tasting notes

List of the bottles

Description of the distillery

Oban
whisky
O.B. 14 years 16 2/3
Distillers edition 1984 17 1/2
See Help 0 - 40 € 40 - 80 € 80 - 120 € 120 - 160 € 160 - 200 € 200 - 240 € 240 - 280 € > 280 €
 Oban: Official bottlings
 

Oban 14 years
Age
 14 years
Alcohol
 43%
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros< 25 euros
 
 The colour is deep yellow. The nose, light, refined and balances is marked by spices (pepper), citrus fruits and light woody and smoky hints.
The palate is smooth and develops on peat with a smoky, malty finish with exotic fruit touches.
A good malt, balanced and smooth, but it would be better if it has some more body.

(la Maison du Whisky)

The first impression announces an interesting whisky. The nose and the mouth let expect a very great malt, but this first impression is rapidly denied by a regrettable lack of depth. The relative deception is due to the expectations from the first impression rather than by a lack of quality of this malt.
16/20
A second tasting denied the first one. Even if this malt is slightly acid, the whole remains very interesting, and my quotation has been reviewed. This just confirms that the impressions can be different each time.
17/20
The relatively discrete nose, with its slightly acid and spicy hints, announces a nice balanced but rather plain whisky. In the palate, a nice complexity with touches going from malted barley to citrus fruit, through nice woody and smoky notes. A quite short finish, but the whole contributes to a nice whisky feeling.
17/20

 Comment by Henrik Johansson

Date of tasting: 8/12 2007
Appearance: Deep Gold or light copper
Nose: Relatively closed and prickly. The predominant impression is of some sort of kippery aroma. There are some leafy, spicy and fragrant hints, but they're all very suppressed. The diluted nose opens up a little bit to reveal some green tobacco whiffs along with some aniseed and kiwi fruits.
Body: Medium light
Palate: Much less closed off than the nose, some warming, husky flavours, toasted oak and some sulphuric hints, but not to the point of being unpleasant. It's quite potent and mouth filling. The finish is long and warming.
84/100

Comment by Johannes Sauer

App.: Dark gold on could say bright amber, a very little greenish? Anyway, the colour does not matter so much since it is adjusted with caramel.
N.: The nose is really demanding: In the beginning there is nothing to sense exept a little malt and soft floral notes, but after leaving the glass untouched for a while, there is a soft sea breeze blowing, a deep syrupy sweetness and a soft winey arome in the background.
T.: More wine (sherry?), but again very soft in the beginning, later it gets better: Spices, even a little black pepper, wood, dry leaves, fisherman's friend, but all in all kept in the very back of the whole. A little more presence of the single aromes would do better.
F.: Hey, finally it gets interesting: The finish seems to be very long and multilayered, n! ow the aromes show up again, leaving prickly traces on the tongue, a very round and not to smooth finish, very pleasing with its soft bitter notes.
C.: Am I wrong with my memory? When I visited Oban 5 years ago I was very pleased with a bottle of the regular 14 yo I bought after a visit of the distillery and was very pleased of the spicy sea breeze arome. Compared to my memory this new Oban bottle was disappointing. But sometimes memories seem better than reality....
16/20

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Oban
1984
Distillers Edition
Age
 17 years
Alcohol
 43%
Particularity
 Double maturation
Cask
 Sherry Montilla Fino
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
 
 The colour is gold with orange glints. The beautiful nose evokes peach and apricot on a sherryish, spicy and smoky background.
The mouth is dry and balanced and marked by the sherry.
The finish is elegant and refined with some hints of ginger bread

(la Maison du Whisky

A very elegant malt smell, mixed with sherry announces a great whisky. The taste is sweet and has pronounced character. Sherry although not dominant gives a certain elegance to this very good whisky. A long and pleasant finish crowns the whole. A bottle I really recommend.
17/20
The second tasting completely confirmed the first one
17/20
During the third tasting, the remarkable balance which characterizes this whisky, and its very long finish, obliged me to revise the quotation.
18/20
The rather smoky nose reveals some clear sherryish hints. A smell of ripe fruits and spices on the background. In the palate, an oily impression where sherry remains very present and the taste is rather complex. A quite long finish where the remembrance of the spices from the nosing comes back.
18/20
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Western Highlands

Campbeltown map

This wild and hilly area with a windy seaside was not favourable for distillation. Only two distilleries in the North of the area and two others in the South are still active.

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Click on the map for a list of the distilleries of the area, on the title for further information about the Western Highlands area, and if you want to make an "alphabetical journey" through the area, please click on one of the pagode roofs, according to the direction you want to follow

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