Oban 14 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Review

In Scotland Diageo reign supreme in terms of the total of malt distilleries owned by a single company….they own 30 of the 147 operational malt producing distilleries in Scotland.

Oban sits on the west coast on Scotland just beside the Isle of Mull and is considered a Highland distillery. Regionality is a hot topic for discussion amongst malt nuts these days as many feel that it really doesn’t carry the weight it used to as any style of Scotch whsiky can be produced in any location given todays modern production techniques.

Production wise for Diageo, Oban comes in 5th place behind The Singleton, Talisker, Cardhu and Lagavulin. It’s a small distillery with only two stills and four washbacks and a total output of 975k LPA , this is unlikely to change anytime soon due to it’s location in the town as the distillery footprint is very small with no real room to expand. Fementation time is a rather long 119 hours which means that the new make is very fruity.

Most of Oban’s malt production goes towards blends but there is still enough left over for a small core range. The NAS Little Bay, the 14 year old and the Distiller’s Edition which is essentially the 14 year old with extra maturation carried out in ex Fino sherry casks. The US also get’s an exclusive 18 year old release available for $165.

A little word about Diageo. They are a massive player in the global spirits world but for many whisky enthusiasts they are the antithesis of craft whisky production….they are volume and profit driven and as such many of their whiskies feel, well a little bland. Low proof, chill filtration and caramel colouring are the order of the day.

In other videos I’ll address why these are seen as bad things.

Oban 14 Year old 43% abv/86proof $76.99/£57.50/e65.50

UK prices: TWE £77.25/MOM £74.90

100% single malt

Refill bourbon cask matured

Nose: I’m greeted with orange marmalade straight away, nougat, lychee and crisp red apples. Malt. A slight salinity along with almonds and light oak. A smokiness from cask char.

Palate: Mouthfeel is okay – just about a medium bodied. Tinned pineapple and candied orange peel. Toffee apples, nutmeg, oak and biscuity malt. Some pepper in the background along with salted cashews.

Finish: Medium length with heather honey, malt, tropical fruit and a pinch of baking spice.

Score: 6 out 10

Overall: A solid if unspectacular malt from those purveyors of blandness Diageo. I’d consider this a warm up dram, something to get the palate open before moving onto better things. 

I do believe there are much better malts in a similar style available here in the US for less such as Benromach 10, the Classic Laddie from Bruichladdie and even the Campeltown Loch from Springbank which is available for $70.

As for the UK prices…well that’d be a hard pass for me on the Oban, definitely not work over £70 and in that price range the options are vast especially factoring in independent bottlers.

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