Bought: Amazon, 28th June 2017
Ratings:
82.86/100 – Whiskybase (average from 16 member votes)
5/5 Stars – Master of Malt (from 2 ratings)
There are 115 different bottles of Oban listed on Whiskybase of which 21 are by independent bottlers. Of those 21 the only one I could find that had been bottled after the mid 1990s was a release by Douglas Laing in 2013 to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Oban lifeboat station. There were only 297 bottles of this 18yo, which now sell for about £150 at auction. Diageo, who own Oban, clearly want to keep the whisky production limited and exclusive.
Jim Murray in his Whisky Bible 2017 has reviews for three different versions of the ‘Distillers Edition’ covering the 2007, 2008 and 2013 releases, which score 90/100, 91.5/100 and 87.5/100 respectively. The only other bottles of Oban he includes are the standard 14-year-old and ‘Little Bay’ with the 14yo scoring a meagre 79/100. Mr Murray clearly appreciates the extra 6-18 months the 14yo matures in Montilla Fino sherry casks to create the ‘Distillers Edition’.
Comments online for the Distillers Edition 2001/16 include, “everything you’d expect from a special edition. Fruity and satisfying in the mouth. Class act from Oban” and “this is one of the sweetest Oban I have ever tried, while the typical coastal character stayed upright.”
Tasting notes from Master of Malt:
Nose: Sherried peels, grassy malt and nutty brown bread. A touch of chocolate sauce in there, too.
Palate: Rich in honey and butterscotch, followed by a light whiff of smoke. Blackberry and raspberry jam.
Finish: Toasty, subtly smoky spices.
Whisky Den 