Of all the whisky regions, the Highlands must surely be the hardest to pin down to a style. That’s hardly surprising, given that the area takes in everything from Loch Lomond in Alexandria to Ben Nevis in Fort William, Tomatin in Inverness and Old Pulteney in Wick. Looking for similarities in profile over such a geographically large area is quite preposterous. Maybe you could make an argument for subdividing the region into smaller more meaningful sections. Perthshire, for example, is home to a number of distilleries with some common characteristics. Today, however, I’m focusing on the western highlands and in particular, the charming coastal town of Oban.
The Oban Brewery was founded in 1793 but within a year, it had been converted to make whisky. That makes it one of the oldest surviving distilleries in Scotland. Over the course of its long history, Oban has seen multiple changes in ownership and encountered more than its fair share of mothballs. The site itself is relatively small and the town grew around it, limiting any potential for growth. Too often, the distillery was unable to keep up with its larger competitors. Today, however, the distillery has a home at Diageo and has found its place in the world thanks to the 14-year-olds inclusion in the Classic Malts range.
Other than the 14-year-old expression, the Oban malt is limited to two other releases – the no-age-statement (NAS) Little Bay and the Distillers Edition. While it would be nice to see a more expansive selection, the limited supply is understandable. None of the spirit produced at Oban goes to blends. The distillery is running at full pelt just to keep up with the small selection it offers.
I’m not one to judge a book by its cover, so I rarely discuss a bottle’s labelling but in this case I’m going to make an exception. The Oban has some lengthy prose that refers to the Vikings, the Stone of Destiny and Clan MacDougall. What any of this has to do with the whisky is a bit of a mystery to me. I enjoy a bit of folklore and mythology to go with my dram, but some practical information would be nice too, and there’s very little on offer here.
Smell: There’s honeyed malt, orange, marzipan and a wee touch of sea salt.
Taste: It has some good weight for its 43% strength, so whatever filtering has gone on, seems to have been done with some sensitivity. Salty again with more honey, a nice chocolatey note, some malt and orange.
Thoughts: Oban’s 14 has climbed in price recently. I paid around £40 for it but I’ve seen it closer to £50 on a few occasions. I enjoy it, but I’m not sure it’s a £50 dram. Though, in fairness, we’re seeing an influx in no-age-statement whiskies so maybe we should appreciate Oban’s 14 year old statement? I do think it’s a solid malt – Diageo are an easy target but they do generally produce quality and Oban is the same. I suppose it’s down to the individual to judge whether it’s worth it.
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