Oban

Situated at the tip of the Kintyre peninsula on the western edge of Scotland, Oban is a distillery whose reputation far exceeds its modest size. Its maritime location on the frontier between the West Highlands and the Western Isles is an important contributor to the Oban malt house style, which is distinctly briny, with gentle heather and peat undertones.

The distillery was built in 1794 in the centre of the fishing village of Oban. Oban’s production methods have reportedly not changed since that time and the distillery has never been expanded. It remains one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland – almost a craft distillery – operating with some of the smallest stills in the country.

The distillery’s flagship single malt is the Oban 14-year-old West Highland Malt, which has been the Western Highland representative of Diageo’s Classic Malts series from day one – in 1987. Oban Little Bay is a newer edition released at a more accessible price point. Also 14 years old, it is matured in the distillery’s smallest ex-Bourbon casks.

Oban’s other core bottling is a vintage Distiller's Edition finished in Montilla fino casks. In addition, two cask-strength, age-statement single malts have been released as part of Diageo's Special Releases series: a 1969 vintage 32-year-old, released in 2002, and a vintage 20-year-old released in 2004. A very small number of independent bottlings have also appeared over the years.