Young and older official Oban


January 22, 2024

WF's Little Duos, Today young
and older official Oban

If there's one distillery that's been, apart from a few rare old bottlings, exclusively available through its owners, it's certainly Oban, very hard to find through independent bottlers.

At WF we have a soft spot for Oban, which is not just a stop on the way to Ben Nevis on the west coast, far from it. It's a malt with character, carried by its legendary condenser that you can visit by going through the distillery roofs (well, if I remember correctly). Consequently, today we will be tasting two recent official versions.

Oban Distillery in 2005. Sadly no old bottlesto be found at the Clearing Shop (WF Archive)

Oban 11 yo 'The Soul of Calypso' (59.7%, OB, Special Release 2023, Caribbean Pot Still Rum Finish)

Well, it seems we shouldn't expect too much of malt whiskies in their natural state anymore; finishes are really becoming common everywhere, even in more or less prestigious ranges, which seems a bit contradictory. In our simple minds, finishes are the cheap versions of malt whiskies, done exclusively for clumsy newcomers (exaggerating a wee bit, once more). Colour: white wine. Nose: a form of sweetness is felt, orange syrup, guava, but not really high-ester rum, at least not notes that could be clearly attributed to any Jamaican pot still, for example, rather than the saline and slightly mustardy character of Oban. Let's see what water will do: not much further development, other than a curiously 'Talisker' side, smoky, with damp earth and polish. Much less exotic fruit than I expected, in the end. Mouth (neat): very powerful, very salty, always with mustard, black olive... With water: more sweetness, around a cough syrup to which honey, Italian bitter, and oranges have been added. I don't find it particularly tropical. Finish: long, earthy and rooty, this time with indeed exotic touches. Mustard returns in the aftertaste, with pepper, nutmeg and a bit of paraffin. Comments: I'm not too sure, actually, in the long term (let's say twenty minutes) the rum notes do come and go. But it remains Oban and I really like Oban.
SGP:562 - 85 points.

Oban 26 yo 1996/2022 (55.2%, OB, Prima & Ultima, refill European oak butt, 428 bottles, 2023)

It's becoming an unfathomable joy to discover a version totally ex-refill and without any finishing, so a distillate that stood on its two feet and didn't need a crutch (OK I'm exaggerating a bit again, intentionally). It seems that this is their very last Oban of this vintage. Colour: golden. Nose: damp chalk, mustard, seawater, bandages, iodine tincture, polish and various balms. Nothing to complain about, it's quite perfect and it's the style we like. With water: brine, seawater, horseradish, walnut husk, virgin wool, it's unmistakably Oban. Mouth (neat): superb salinity, lime, green pepper, a small mezcaly side, and tight green spices. Artichoke, eggplants, green pepper... A bit of rock candy too. With water: more roundness but with moderation. Bitter oranges, ashes, walnut liqueur, demerara sugar... Finish: very Oban, with mustard, green nuts, shellfish and cigar ashes. Salted orange marmalade in the finale. Comments: it's really excellent. They say this last bottling comes from three butts, but 428 bottles aren't much in that case. Unless a lot of evaporation has occurred, you never know.
SGP:562 - 89 points.

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