
March 21, 2023

Little Duos, today Oban love

Oban

A small secret piece of Oban's wormtub (WF Archive)

There is a brand new official limited edition Oban, only available at the distillery and named 'The Macleans Young Teddy'. We're going to taste it right away, but as a sparring partner, we'll have a 14-year-old from a relatively recent batch. Let's say within five years (unfortunately, we don't have any other more recent Oban in the reserves of Whiskyfun!) We love Oban, especially its wormtub on the roof (more or less on the roof).

Oban 14 yo (43%, OB, +/- 2017)

The last batch of 14 that I tasted was from around 2016 (we're still as ahead of schedule as ever, you see). That one was superbly delicious (WF 88). Colour: golden. Nose: this 14 is quite beautifully maritime, with quite a lot of dried seaweed, oysters, driftwood that has just arrived on the beach, then some notes of leather and mild mustard, quite typical. I also find crushed and wet slate, as well as shellfish and some citrus notes. I've always loved the freshness of these Obans, especially as this one seems less marked by wood, and perhaps by spirit caramel, than versions from ten years ago. Mouth: mustard, brine and peppery orange marmalade, here is a perfect Oban. We also find some notes of tobacco, salt, fresh nuts and touches of cardamom and perhaps even fresh coriander. The relatively light alcohol degree is never a problem, quite the contrary. Finish: medium-length, very coastal, rather smoky, with more bitter oranges and even a few drops of fino. Only the retro-olfaction is slightly woody and drying. Comments: exactly as I expected. It seems to me that Oban's whisky is no longer as well-known these days, perhaps because the distillery is really small? One should not underestimate it. As they say at Dior, j'adore!
SGP:562 - 88 points.

Let's go, let's taste the latest one...

Oban 'The Macleans, Young Teddy' (50.8%, OB, Distillery Exclusive, 4,542 bottles, 2023)

There had already been an 'Old Teddy' but I don't think I've ever tasted it. This new edition has been finished in palo cortado and oloroso casks. Colour: pale gold. Nose: we're not too far from the 14, this new NAS being just a little fruitier and even downright sweet on the nose. I find quite a bit of fudge and toffee, salted butter caramel, and once again those seaweeds straight from the ocean. Or from Northern Ireland. With water: we're even closer to the 14-year-old, with these mustardy notes rising to your nostrils, along with a bit of mentholated tobacco (Kools, menthol snus...). Mouth (neat): once again, this is sweeter and fruitier than the 14, rather on juicy tangerines and apples, although the coastal side is never absent. Sweet draught cider. With water: very good, very close to the 14. Let's say the 14-year-old with a bit of apple juice. Everything else is very nicely salty and lightly peppery, with some nuts and a bit of mustard. Exactly what we expected. Finish: quite perfect. Comments: a very, very pretty variant that strays very little from Oban's usual style. I won't complain, but what's certain is that we would like more expressions from Oban, in the style of that extraordinary 32-year-old from about twenty years ago (WF 93, no less). There's no reason to attribute a different score than that of the 14, only the sweetness is more prominent here.
SGP:652 - 88 points.

Check the index of all Oban we've tasted so far