Oban

The Oban distillery is located in the west of Scotland in the small harbour town of the same name, which has grown up around the distillery.
The Whisky belongs to the 'Classic Malts Selection'.

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Information about the Distillery
73 Bottles
Scotland, Highlands
-5.472292 56.414819
Active
Diageo
1 x 12,600 l
Normal
1 x 7,200 l
Hoch
4 x 31,000 l
6 t
1794
670,000 l
https://www.obanwhisky.com/
Average tasting notes Tasting notes
i
Nosing
Fruit:
Fruit:
Peat Smoke:
Peat Smoke:
Maritime Notes:
Maritime Notes:
Seaweed:
Seaweed:
Sweet:
Sweet:
Zitrus:
Zitrus:
Salt:
Salt:
Oak:
Spices:
Oak:
Spices:
Sherry:
Apple:
Apple:
Nuts:
Malt:
Malt:
Herbs:
Vanilla:
Vanilla:
Caramel:
Caramel:
Pear:
Pear:
Herbs:
Grape:
Grape:
Sherry:
Orange:
Orange:
Honey:
Honey:
Oil:
Chili:
Oil:
Chili:
Heather:
Heather:
Peach:
Peach:
Alcohol:
Alcohol:
Dried Fruit:
Dried Fruit:
Tropical Fruit:
Tropical Fruit:
Nuts:
Green Apple:
Green Apple:
Pineapple:
Pineapple:
Lemon:
Floral:
Lemon:
Floral:
Banana:
Banana:
Cherry:
Herb:
Cherry:
Herb:
Plum:
Mint:
Plum:
Mint:
Chocolate:
Walnut:
Chocolate:
Walnut:
Grass:
Cake:
Almonds:
Ham:
Raisin:
Almonds:
Grass:
Cake:
Ham:
Raisin:
Lime:
Strawberry:
Lime:
Strawberry:
Leather:
Bonfire Smoke:
Medicinal Smoke:
Pepper:
Dark Chocolate:
Iodine:
Medicinal Smoke:
Leather:
Bonfire Smoke:
Iodine:
Pepper:
Dark Chocolate:
Nutmeg:
Date:
Cinnamon:
Grapefruit:
Nutmeg:
Date:
Cinnamon:
Grapefruit:
Black Currant:
Barley:
Hazelnut:
Kiwi:
Berries:
Melon:
Lemon Peel:
Tobacco:
Hay:
Barley:
Black Currant:
Hay:
Hazelnut:
Kiwi:
Berries:
Melon:
Lemon Peel:
Tobacco:
Blackberry:
Fig:
Clove:
Clove:
Blackberry:
Fig:
Tasting
Maritime Notes:
Maritime Notes:
Fruit:
Sweet:
Sweet:
Peat Smoke:
Spices:
Fruit:
Peat Smoke:
Salt:
Salt:
Seaweed:
Seaweed:
Spices:
Oak:
Oak:
Nuts:
Malt:
Malt:
Zitrus:
Zitrus:
Oil:
Oil:
Caramel:
Caramel:
Sherry:
Honey:
Honey:
Herbs:
Nuts:
Pepper:
Herbs:
Pepper:
Apple:
Apple:
Vanilla:
Vanilla:
Sherry:
Orange:
Orange:
Herb:
Herb:
Heather:
Heather:
Chili:
Chili:
Alcohol:
Alcohol:
Pear:
Pear:
Chocolate:
Chocolate:
Lemon:
Lemon:
Dried Fruit:
Raisin:
Dried Fruit:
Raisin:
Dark Chocolate:
Bonfire Smoke:
Dark Chocolate:
Bonfire Smoke:
Plum:
Leather:
Banana:
Plum:
Banana:
Leather:
Pineapple:
Almonds:
Barley:
Tropical Fruit:
Floral:
Peach:
Pineapple:
Almonds:
Barley:
Tropical Fruit:
Floral:
Peach:
Grapefruit:
Walnut:
Fig:
Ginger:
Walnut:
Grapefruit:
Ginger:
Fig:
Cinnamon:
Coffee:
Grape:
Coffee:
Cinnamon:
Grape:
Berries:
Mint:
Clove:
Clove:
Berries:
Mint:
Cake:
Hazelnut:
Lemon Peel:
Cherry:
Iodine:
Cake:
Cherry:
Hazelnut:
Lemon Peel:
Iodine:
Wheat:
Strawberry:
Tobacco:
Wheat:
Strawberry:
Tobacco:
Grass:
Hay:
Green Apple:
Lime:
Medicinal Smoke:
Grass:
Hay:
Lime:
Green Apple:
Medicinal Smoke:
Ham:
Melon:
Black Currant:
Blackberry:
Melon:
Ham:
Black Currant:
Blackberry:
Finish
Peat Smoke:
Peat Smoke:
Oak:
Oak:
Spices:
Maritime Notes:
Maritime Notes:
Malt:
Malt:
Spices:
Sweet:
Sweet:
Fruit:
Seaweed:
Seaweed:
Fruit:
Salt:
Salt:
Herb:
Herb:
Zitrus:
Zitrus:
Nuts:
Coffee:
Coffee:
Herbs:
Pepper:
Pepper:
Herbs:
Sherry:
Chocolate:
Chocolate:
Nuts:
Caramel:
Caramel:
Oil:
Oil:
Orange:
Orange:
Dark Chocolate:
Sherry:
Dark Chocolate:
Heather:
Vanilla:
Vanilla:
Heather:
Honey:
Chili:
Honey:
Chili:
Ginger:
Ginger:
Apple:
Apple:
Mint:
Mint:
Floral:
Floral:
Bonfire Smoke:
Grass:
Alcohol:
Grass:
Leather:
Peach:
Bonfire Smoke:
Peach:
Alcohol:
Leather:
Almonds:
Dried Fruit:
Grapefruit:
Grapefruit:
Almonds:
Dried Fruit:
Banana:
Banana:
Pineapple:
Berries:
Wheat:
Wheat:
Plum:
Pineapple:
Plum:
Berries:
Lemon:
Lemon:
Cinnamon:
Walnut:
Walnut:
Cinnamon:
Lemon Peel:
Tropical Fruit:
Cake:
Date:
Medicinal Smoke:
Cake:
Tropical Fruit:
Lemon Peel:
Medicinal Smoke:
Date:
Clove:
Nutmeg:
Clove:
Strawberry:
Pear:
Nutmeg:
Pear:
Strawberry:
Details about the Distillery

The Whisky

Oban forms a frontier between the Highlands and the Islands, both geographically and in terms of the character of the Single Malt. Oban distillery has released a number of official bottlings, which currently includes a 10-year-old, a 14-year-old and a bottling called "Little Bay", as well as a Distillers' Edition. Previous Oban bottlings include a 12-year-old, a 13-year-old "Manager's Dram", a 20-year-old, a 21-year-old and a 32-year-old. The distillery's 14-year-old bottling was introduced as part of the Diageo Classic Malt Series. Independent bottlings, on the other hand, are extremely hard to find. Only three are known: a 30-year-old from Cadenhead, released in 1993, a bottling from Gordon & MacPhail from 1972 and an 18-year-old from Signatory Vintage.

The Production

With a production capacity of 670,000 litres, Oban is Diageo's second smallest distillery after Royal Lochnagar in terms of production. The distillery uses water from Loch Glenn a'Bhearraidh for its production. 

Oban is one of the few distilleries in Scotland that still uses the traditional "worm tubs" located outside the stillhouse. To get the desired mild and fruity flavour, the temperature of the water in which both the snake of the wash and the spirit still are located must be set precisely. This may be just high enough so that it still condenses well and there is also quite a lot of copper contact.

The Pot Stills

There is only one wash still and one spirit still at Oban distillery. The wash still has a capacity of 12,600 litres and is filled with 10,500 litres, while the spirit still is slightly smaller at 7,200 litres and is filled with 6,000 litres.

For a milder, fruitier flavour, Oban uses relatively tall stills with a constriction, giving you more copper contact. To avoid over-boiling and for better separation of the alcohol, distilling tends to be slower. A special heating system with a kind of steam-powered pan ensures an even distillation process.

The Maltings

The malt used in production comes from Diageo's central maltings. Before it was shut down in 1968, Oban used its own maltings.

The distillery's mash tun is where tradition meets modernity. The rake inside is as it was in earlier times, but the lid is new, as is the stainless steel from which the mash tun is made. It is filled with 6.75 tonnes of barley malt, which is only very slightly smoky at 1ppm. The malt is mixed with 60,000 litres of water and goes through three processes. Only 32,000 litres of mash, the beginning with the most sugar content, are processed at each time. The rest is reused to increase efficiency.

The Fermentation

The 32,000 litres of mash are distributed to four wooden wash backs. The fermentation period at Oban is very long and lasts between 84 and 135 hours. This is the only way to get the fruity aromas into the Whisky later.

The Warehouse

The Oban distillery has a small dunnage warehouse on site, which is used to store the casks. The distillery uses a combination of white oak and Sherry casks for the maturation of its Whisky, as well as a few special casks for the Distillers' Editions, including Montilla Fino Sherry casks.

The History

Oban distillery is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland, having been established in 1794. Additionally, it is especially unusual for being one of the last surviving urban distilleries. The distillery was founded by two brothers, John and Hugh Stevenson, who were from Oban themselves. The distillery was founded on the site of an old brewery. The distillery has been incredibly influential on the town itself, as it was a major source of industry. Production at the site began in 1794, and the two brothers ran the operations together until Hugh Stevenson died in 1820. Upon learning of his fathers’ death, Hugh’s son, Thomas, returned from Buenos Aires to manage production at Oban distillery. Thomas acquired the remaining stocks in the distillery in 1822, therefore gaining total control of the site. Despite Thomas Stevensons’ strong start to running the distillery, by 1829, a series of unsuccessful investments left Thomas bankrupt, and highly in debt. Keeping things in the Stevenson family, Thomas’ eldest son, John, took over operations at the distillery. John bought Oban distillery from his fathers’ creditors for the price of £1’500 in 1831.

After operating successfully under his management for over 30 years, the distillery was sold on to Peter Cumsie in 1866. In 1883, Cumsie sold Oban distillery on to James Walter Higgins, who refurbished and modernized the site. In 1898, the distillery was taken over by the Oban & Aultmore-Glenlivet Company. Alexander Edwards took the helm of the operation, and a consortium made up of John Dewar & Sons, James Buchanan & Company and White Horse Distillers also became involved in the running of the distillery. 

Around about this time, the distillery suffered enormous losses due to the Pattison crisis. Pattison’s Blends were one of the major buyers of Oban Single Malt. After suffering for a few years, the distillery managed to regain some traction, and in 1923 the Oban Distillery Company, which was owned by Buchanan-Dewar, bought the site. In 1925 Distillers Company Limited, who took over Oban distillery, bought out Buchanan-Dewars. In 1930, the administration of the site was transferred to Scottish Malt Distillers. The distillery was mothballed from 1931 to 1937 due to the harsh economic climate. Following production re-launching at the site, the distillery prospered. In 1968, the distillery stopped using its own floor maltings, and the entire site underwent a major reconstruction. Following this large-scale reconstruction, the distillery reopened in 1972. The distillery has continued to thrive as it has progressed into the twenty-first century. Diageo, who acquired the site through the UDV merger in 1989, now operates the distillery. Under Diageo, the distillery has continued to release new expressions from its warehouse, a trend that will hopefully continue for years to come. 

The Visitor Centre

Oban distillery has an award-winning visitor centre that provides visitors with the opportunity to tour the facility, an impressive gift shop, and a small museum about the history of the site.

Visitor information

The Oban Distillery
Oban
Argyll
PA34 5NH
Tel: +44 (0)1631-572004
Email: oban.distillery@remove-this.diageo.com 

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