A twenty-one year-old Oban Single Malt is a lovely thing, and this special release is as lovely as can be.
Long before Oban was a lovely seaside resort town on the West Coast of Scotland, John and Hugh Stevenson built their first still house there in 1794. So the town literally grew up around the Whisky — which is the way it should be if you ask us. It sits on the western shore facing Islay and the Spirit they produce is influenced by both the Highlands and the Island.
The blokes at Oban have only one wash and one Spirit still — the total capacity of the distillery is 650k liters — tiny by modern standards. So even though they are owned by the corporate giant Diageo, they are small enough to be left alone to do their good work in peace. Oban is considered one of the classic Malts of Scotland — a virtual national treasure.
We don’t get too many special or limited editions from Oban. So when we do, it’s always a treat. This Oban 21 Year Old Special Release was issued by Diageo as a part of their 2018 special release series. It was aged in refill European oak Sherry butts. Importantly, it’s bottled at a near cask strength of 57.9% ABV. So not only is the a wonderful flavor complexity, but you get to taste it all at full volume."