However, if you’re familiar with Oban and want to see what a little high-quality sherry does to the mix, you owe it to yourself to try this one out. The 14 year remains my go-to Scotch for a light, honeyed Highlander, even above many similarly-styled Speysiders. Overall: I actually prefer this dram over the 18-year, although its price puts it out of consideration for a spot in my regular cabinet. A very nice blending of the Oban style with a delicate sherry fruit basket.įinish: Black cherry again, plus some light fading wood tannins and a bare hint of sweet smoke. Elegant light sherry, with a wave of deep black cherry, sweet apple juice, and the characteristic honey. This also shows some nice almond or marzipan, and is light and dry. Nose: Light hint of red grape, otherwise pure Oban: floral heather, deep golden honey, apple cider. I tasted some of the 2010 bottling, which was distilled in 1995. The Distiller’s Edition is a yearly release of the usual 14-year Oban which is further matured for 6-18 months in a Montilla Fino sherry butt (which is always a first-fill cask – in other words has only held sherry before). They set aside 300 barrels each year for the Distiller’s Edition, and now 300 barrels a year for the new 18 year-old. Diageo, owners of the tiny distillery, must make do with the production capacity of only two stills, 6 days a week. See my review of the 14-year standard bottling here. Oban is a Highland malt well known for its gentle, dry, honey-and-fruit character. I like to keep two or three bottles of expensive Scotch, several bottles of sub-$50 whisky, and a rotating selection of at least four value drams: generally blends, 10 year-old single malts, and bourbons or ryes. A beautiful combination of rich, nutty toffee. Steel mash tun, larch washbacks, and only two small lamp glass-shaped stills with traditional wooden worm tubs. Drier, less toffee and fruit, more dried spice and oak when compared to the standard Oban 14 year old. This whole area is made up of old volcanic lava flow rock. I generally only purchase full bottles that are under $50, with a few notable “special occasion” purchases. One of Diageo’s Classic Malts, its water comes from Loch Gleann a Bhearraidh, the town reservoir. I’d just like to describe my strategy for choosing what to review: I sample anything that I can get my hands on, whether it’s $20 or $200, and I post those tasting notes despite my goal of reviewing mostly sub-$50 drams. A Note on my tasting choices: I’ve been criticized for discussing expensive malts on this blog, and here comes another one.
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