The Basics:

Character: Fresh and maritime.

Score: 79/100

The details:

Oban is one of the smaller distilleries in the vast Diageo portfolio. Its whisky, one of the original six in the classic malts range, has always been inexplicably popular here in the United States. 

The town of Oban and its eponymous distillery are inextricably intertwined. In the late 1700s, the Duke of Argyll, looking to increase his rents through cultivating business on his lands, offered low rents to anyone willing to build a house. A pair of enterprising brothers, John and Hugh Stevenson, proceeded to build an entire town, complete with a brewery; the town, built in 1793, was Oban, and within several years, there is record of the Oban distillery producing. It remained in the Stevenson family until the mid-19th century. 

Through the later 19th and early 20th century, it went through several owners, including one James Walter Higgin who rebuilt the facility. In 1925, it became part of DCL, and it has remained with successor firms since. A small site, Oban was very nearly closed by its owners in 1968, however the decision was reversed, and in 1979, its owners entered a 12 year old edition into the fledgling single malt market. Ten years later, it became part of the Classic Malts range as a 14 year old. It continues to be regularly bottled at that age, along with several more intermittent expressions.

I’ve never been especially taken with Oban, although it’s fine enough. I don’t usually keep any around, and I think I bought this bottle on special, although that was some time ago now, and the bottle in question is long since empty. It’s a distinctly maritime whisky, and always feels to me as though it could use a little extra oomph.

Oban 14 43% abv

Tasting notes:

Nose: Low tide, saltiness, light sweetness and sea air; slightly fresh and flowery.

Body: Lightish, sharp, thin.

Palate: Rubber, salt, some waxiness, turpentine, some astringency, a bit of spiciness. Boat paint after sunlight. Interesting and very maritime.

Finish: Whiff of smoke, long and drying.

Score: 77/100

Who should buy it?: People just starting to expand their horizons into Scotch of different types.

Overall thoughts: A solid malt that has never been a favorite of mine. I’d be very curious to see if it were a little more exciting if any ever made it into the hands of an indie bottler.

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