Oban 14 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky | 43% Vol | 70cl | Malt | Orange | Sea Salt & Mandarin | Scottish Whisky With Sweetness & Smoky Dryness | Full Bodied | an Ideal Christmas Gift

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Today, there are five official whisky regions, which are tied to scotch’s unique region of geographic indication allowing it to be a protected product in international trade through pacts with the European Union, the United States and most of the whisky-consuming world. But when the UK government updated the Scotch Whisky Regions in 2009, they discontinued a historical region — the Islands — and rolled it into the Highlands. Both Oban 14 and the Macallan 12 are Age Statement Whiskies — meaning the number of years printed on the label is legally required to reflect the youngest casks in any particular batch. Oban in Scots Gaelic means’ little bay’ and describes the distillery’s location near the shore of Sound of Kerrera on the coast of the Hebrides. At the plant’s founding in 1793, the town of Oban had not yet been founded. In its early days, the location worked as a brewery, producing ale for inhabitants of the newly laid town. After a few years, the first distillations were recorded.

Marketing copy on the label of the 14-year-old expression translates the word Oban to mean ‘Little Bay of Caves,’ describing the area on the shores of Lorn along the Barrain cliffs that has been home to inhabitants since 5,000 BCE. For today's tasting we're going to take a look at the 14 year old - the Western Highland entry in the Classic Malt series. When comparing products with identical ingredients, the techniques utilized during the malting, fermentation, distillation and maturation processes significantly impact the resulting flavor. Oban distillery is owned by Diageo. It has only two pot stills, making it one of the smallest in Scotland, producing a whisky that has been described as having a "West Highland" flavour that falls between the dry, smoky style of the Scottish islands and the lighter, sweeter malts of the Highlands. [3] History [ edit ]Oban’s small, onion-shaped, slow-running stills give the spirit a sulphury character and viscous mouthfeel. But to keep the flavor light, the distillers take breaks between runs to open the doors and expose the inside of the pot to oxygen — which helps rejuvenate the copper. The Macallan has 24 stills housed under sloping turf-domed roofs alternately said to resemble the rolling Scottish countryside, the ancient Scottish ‘Broch’ or roundhouse or the opening scene from the children’s television show ‘Teletubbies.’ Description: In the glass, the whisky has a tawny color with a straw-gold hue. It has moderate legs at 43 percent alcohol by volume, or 86 proof. I try to never fully set my opinion on a whisk(e)y till I get the opportunity to do a proper review at home, aka a controlled environment, and I have the opportunity to fully concentrate on it and it alone… and now I have, so here it is. The aroma of the Oban 14 is rustic and charry but not in a homey kind of way, more bitter. The Palate is citrus and malt driven with a bit of smoky char and the finish is an unremarkable mix of the two. Nothing terrible, but terribly unremarkable.

Oban is a Western Highland Scotch distillery and brand owned by Diageo. Founded in 1794 at Argyll, the distillery was initially operated as a brewery but began distillation shortly after. Like many of Scotland’s distilleries, ownership changed multiple times, and the distillery was modernized, too. Today, Oban is said to be the second smallest distillery owned by Diageo when it comes to production capacity, at 870,000 liters per year.Oban’s proximity to the ocean gives the final spirit a minerality that works overtime to add complexity to the light and fruity new make off the still. In December 2014 Oban introduced a NAS (non-age-statement) bottling, called Oban "Little Bay". In 2023, Diageo released an 11-year-old Oban called "The Soul of Calypso" as part of the Special Releases. It was matured in Caribbean rum casks. [5] See also [ edit ] I’ve never been overly impressed with Oban 14. It’s always been one of those malts that I get when it’s cheap at a bar, over at a friend’s place or have an after-work-dram with folks in the office because someone always seems to have a bottle, but I’ve never reviewed it… till now.

The Oban Distillery is primarily known for its 14-year-old malt, which is marketed as part of Diageo's "Classic Malts Selection" range, launched in 1988. Also available is a "Distiller's Edition" bottling, which is finished in a Montilla Fino sherry cask before bottling. There is also an 18-year-old limited edition and a rare 32-year-old edition which is limited to 6000 bottles. It’s among the smaller distilleries in Scotland with only two pot stills which they use to make a moderately peated style of whisky that was once a bit more synonymous with the Highlands than it is today, but still far from being uncommon. Oban’s flagship whisky is a 14-year-old single malt. It’s a sophisticated thing, stylistically living somewhere between the brash peatiness of an Islay malt and the more harmonious structure of a Highland whisky (if such a thing can be generalized—there are Highland whiskies of nearly every persuasion). Oban also offers an NAS whisky called Little Bay (the meaning of the Gaelic word “oban”), as well as a Distiller’s Edition aged in fino sherry casks and an 18-year-old expression. Tasting Notes: Oban 14-Year-Old Scotch Whisky More recently, the Stevenson brothers — John and Hugh — opened the Oban Distillery in the remote Hebrides shore in 1794. The distillery remained remote until a railroad opened Oban to trade in 1888.The Oban 14-year-old is the distillery’s flagship expression. It is distilled from lightly-peated malt, aged in refill ex-Bourbon casks, chill-filtered, and bottled at 43% strength. Oban 14 Years Old – Review