Oban 12 Year Special Release 2021

Review by: Raygun

Oban is known for having next to no IBs. Not many OBs either: Little Bay, 14, and (in the US) 18 are about it. For CS options, we’re just about down to distillery exclusives and the occasional expressions in the Diageo Special Releases annual series. This is one of those, from 2021. First CS Oban I’ve tried. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 20 minutes. 

Distillery: Oban 

Bottler: Oban

Region/style: Highlands single malt Scotch

ABV: 56.2%. Cask strength. 

Age: 12 years. Bottled in 2021. 

Cask type: Ex-bourbon and refill casks. That’s pretty vague. Are those refill casks also ex-bourbon or something else?

Color: 0.8 deep gold. Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: Big malt. A little wisp of smoke. Toffee, a little orange. Cinnamon rolls, yeasty and bready.    

Palate: Pretty tasty. Shortbread, toffee, orange, and some almonds. There’s a touch of spice: some cinnamon and a little ginger. Has a definitely yeasty flavor, like a cinnamon roll. A touch of smoke.  

Finish: Shortbread, orange, caramel, and a little fudge. Very malty. Restrained spice. Moderately oaky. Nice richness. Get a little more smoke here. 

Conclusion: Nice and straightforward. A very Scotchy Scotch. A little fruit, a little spice, and a nice wallop of malt. Lots of flavor. Very drinkable. Has elements I remember from the 14, but of course turned up several notches. Great example of a malt-forward Scotch, which is not the easiest style to do well. Too bad Oban doesn’t put out more of this kind of thing. 

Buy a bottle? Wouldn’t make a huge effort to track one down, but if I ran across it, maybe.

Score: 82

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
  • 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)

Published by Raygun

Unknown's avatar

I drank Scotch occasionally (mostly at family gatherings) for years, but started getting more interested after an introduction and tasting from a Scottish acquaintance. That led to buying my first bottle (Highland Park 12). Now 600+ spirits later, Scotch is still my first love, but I drink other whisky and dabble in brandy as well.

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