Oban 18 Year

Review by: The Muskox

Oban is one of those distilleries that loads of people know about, but isn’t actually accessible beyond the 14, Distiller’s Edition, and Little Bay. The distillery is tiny, and because practically all its stock goes towards the single malt, there are essentially no casks available to be sold or bottled individually. As a result, Oban might be the rarest legacy distillery to see as an indie bottling. This 18 is the oldest Oban (relatively) widely available.

Distillery: Oban.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Highlands.

ABV: 43%.

Age: 18 years.

Cask type: American oak.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: Color added. Chill-filtered.

Nose: Sweet and very floral. Loads of rose petals and sandalwood. Tangerine, baked apples, some passionfruit, slowly giving way to dried fruit notes of golden raisins and apricots. Caramel, brown sugar, and some nutmeg. Very light peat smoke, earth, some salt, dissolved minerals, a little sweet spruce.

Palate: Light texture. Arrives with sweet citrus, flowers, and orchard fruit, then crystallized ginger, brown sugar, nougat, and baking spices. As the whisky develops, in comes rounded peat smoke, charred wood, fragrant coffee, and a hint of black pepper. Lots of honey on the back end.

Finish: Fairly short and very sweet. Lots of honey, along with pears, caramel, cherry blossoms, and golden raisins. Very light peppery smoke.

Possible SMWS bottling name: “Charming country-house kitsch”

Conclusion: If you like the 14, you’ll love this. The typical sweetness, citrus, flowers, and hint of smoke are all here, but with an extra dose of richness and complexity. The little bit of peat complements the sweetness very well. I’d say it’s still a little too sugary, and the whisky does suffer a little from the low proof, particularly on the finish. I think there’s a bigger quality increase between Oban 14 and Oban 18 than between Talisker 10 and Talisker 18, but I prefer both the Taliskers overall.

Final Score: 83.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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