What is the meaning of Oban Distillery?
Oban distillery. Oban distillery (/ˈoʊbən/ (listen) OH-bən; Scottish Gaelic: Taigh-stail an Òbain) is a whisky distillery in the Scottish west coast port of Oban.
Why is Oban single malt so special?
Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky. The stills are small (onion-shaped in Oban’s case) and condensing takes place in worm tubs. Yet if you were to spend a week at the distillery you would note that they do not run every day. In fact, Oban produces significantly less than it could. The reason for this is to retain its character.
How did Oban whisky get to Glasgow?
Although Oban was by now a thriving port it took time to get the whisky to the main market of Glasgow. It was given a lifeline in 1888 when the railway from Glasgow arrived.
What does Oban mean in Scottish?
It sits at the head of a broad U-shaped bay that shares its name. Its very name in Scotch Gaelic, An t-Oban, means “little bay.” The distillery sits in the center of the town of Oban, making it one of the few urban distilleries in Scotland, and the only one on a town’s main thoroughfare.
Is Oban a peaty whisky?
The answer is very simple and at the same time represents its greatest strength and weakness: this Oban 14 is a peaty, smoky and shady whiskey, but it has been made softer and more rounded than the other Islay competitors. Small geographical note: beware the Oban distillery is not on the island of Islay.
Is Oban a Highland whiskey?
Oban distillery is owned by Diageo. It has only two pot stills, making it one of the smallest in Scotland, producing a whisky that has been described as having a "West Highland" flavour that falls between the dry, smoky style of the Scottish islands and the lighter, sweeter malts of the Highlands.
Is Oban a Speyside Scotch?
Built by brothers Hugh and John Stevenson, Oban whisky is inextricably bound to its environment. Our water flows in from a loch three miles away. Our barley travels from Speyside. The distillery came first and a town rose up around it.
Is Oban a smoky whiskey?
Lightly smoky on the honeyed, floral nose. Toffee, cereal and a hint of peat. The palate offers initial cooked fruits, becoming spicier.
Is Oban a good whisky?
With just a light touch of smoke, this is a great “gateway” whisky for anyone interested in exploring smokier, peatier Islay malts. A quintessential Highland malt at a comparatively reasonable price, this delivers bang for the buck.
Is Oban an Islay?
It falls in the Highland region, but as a coastal distillery it inherits a bit of influence from both Islay and “The Islands” as scotch regions, which leads to Oban being referred to specifically as “West Highland.” That descriptor implies a certain middle ground between the richer, fruitier, balanced malts of the ...
What region of scotch is Glenfiddich?
SpeysideGlenfiddich (Scottish English: [ɡlɛnˈfɪdɪç]) is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky produced by William Grant & Sons in the Scottish burgh of Dufftown in Moray....Glenfiddich.Region: SpeysideLocationDufftown, Moray, ScotlandCoordinates57°27′13″N 03°07′43″WOwnerWilliam Grant & SonsFounded188612 more rows
How do you drink Oban whiskey?
How You Should Drink ObanStraight.On the rocks.With a bit of water.With club soda.With ginger ale.
What is Oban known for?
Oban is often referred to as the seafood capital of Scotland and with the famous Oban Whiskey Distillery right at the heart of the town. Oban has earned its reputation as a holiday resort town because of its spectacular views of the port. The popular bay view shops along the bustling road run right through the town.
What scotch is similar to Oban?
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How much does a bottle of Oban cost?
OBAN 14 YEAR SCOTCH WHISKEY (750 ML) - $109.99 - $125 Free Shipping - CWSpirits.com.
What is the proper way to drink Scotch?
The simplest way to enjoy your whisky is neat, cleansing your palate with cool water between sips. Some people also add a few drops of water to their whisky, which can open up the flavors as the liquids combine. Experiment to see what works for you, but go slowly. Don't add too much water at once.
What is a Highland scotch?
Highland single malts are single malt Scotch whiskies produced in the Highland region of Scotland. This categorization includes the whiskies produced on the islands around the perimeter of Scotland (the Island single malts), except for Islay (see Islay whisky).
What is Oban known for?
Oban is often referred to as the seafood capital of Scotland and with the famous Oban Whiskey Distillery right at the heart of the town. Oban has earned its reputation as a holiday resort town because of its spectacular views of the port. The popular bay view shops along the bustling road run right through the town.
What is Oban whiskey made from?
The distillery uses water from Loch Glenn a'Bhearraidh in its production. The distillery is one of a very few distilleries in Scotland still using the traditional “worm tubs”, which are placed outside of the still house.
Is Oban smooth?
Is Oban A Smooth Scotch? With oak wood, dryness, and a grain of salt, this finish is long, smooth, and sweet.
When was the Oban distillery founded?
In 1793, they had laid out what is today’s Oban, and at its heart they built a brewery. A year later there is a record of distillation taking place, though the first official record only dates from 1799. The Oban distillery would remain in the family’s ownership until 1866 when it was sold to local businessman Peter Cumstie who held it until 1883 when he sold it to John Walter Higgin.
When did Oban become a single malt?
Soon after (in 1979) Oban became an early player in what was the new single malt category with the launch of a 12-year-old expression. In 1989, it was relaunched as a 14-year-old when Oban joined the Classic Malts Selection. It was at this point that it began to build its significant following in the US market.
Why did the Stevenson brothers buy the island of Belnahua?
The enterprising Stevenson brothers (John and Hugh) bought the island of Belnahua in 1780 to quarry slate for a project which would take advantage of this incentive scheme. They weren’t planning to build a house, but a town. In 1793, they had laid out what is today’s Oban, and at its heart they built a brewery.
When was Oban whisky given a lifeline?
Although Oban was by now a thriving port it took time to get the whisky to the main market of Glasgow. It was given a lifeline in 1888 when the railway from Glasgow arrived.
When did Oban stop being made?
1925 Oban is sold to DCL, and then onto SMD in 1930. 1931 SMD ceased production for six years. 1968 After some 30 years back in production, Oban is closed again for four years while it's extended. 1979 Oban appears on the market as a 12-year-old single malt.
Is Oban's house still there?
Oban’s still house, like that of Royal Lochnagar's, points to it being a heavy, sulphury site.
Is Oban's make heavy or light?
Oban’s make is light rather than heavy, and that means a lot of copper contact is needed – tricky in a small still/worm tub site.
What is Oban's signature whisky?
The result is a distinctive, lightly smoky, malty, dry whisky that is Oban’s signature.
Where is the distillery in Oban?
The distillery sits in the center of the town of Oban , making it one of the few urban distilleries in Scotland, and the only one on a town’s main thoroughfare. It is one of less than a dozen functioning distilleries in Scotland that can document their history back to the 18th century. Stylistically, its whisky is at the seam between ...
What is the Oban Little Bay?
Little Bay is a blend of whiskies drawn from a combination of sherry casks, ex-bourbon hogsheads and ex-bourbon refill casks that have had new oak ends added.
Why do Oban worm tubs have two worms?
The only reason for doing so is to further slowdown the condensation and maximize contact with the copper tubing. The result is that the meaty notes typical of worm tub condensed whiskies are less noticeable, although still present in Oban. According to Colville, it’s not clear when Oban began using two nested worms.
What temperature does an Oban worm tub get?
An unintended consequence of “hot” worm tubs is that it also prolongs the distillation. Oban runs their worm tubs “hot,” usually 113 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit (45-50 degrees Celsius). Oban’s worm tubs also have another unique feature; they contain two worms nested within one another.
What is an Oban worm tub?
Oban uses a traditional worm tub as a condenser rather than the modern tube and shell condenser. In a worm tub, there is only a single spiraled copper tube through which the vapor passes. The tube or worm is immersed in a water bath.
How long does it take for an Oban to ferment?
According to Colville, historically Oban used a combination of one long ferment of 120 hours and one short ferment of 65 hours. Currently, however, it does only the short, 65-hour ferment. While this may be considered short by Oban’s historical practices, it is still at the upper range of the typical Scotch industry fermentation lengths.
Where does Oban distillery get its water from?
Oban Distillery takes its water from a loch called Gleann na Bearricdh which lies 2-3 kilometres up in the hills behind the town. The malt, which is lightly-peated, is not made locally, but is delivered by truck from a central malting company outside of Elgin. The old floor maltings have been renovated and now houses the visitor centre. The mash tun is made of stainless steel. The four wooden washbacks are made from larch and holds 30 000 litres each. The two rather small onion shaped stills are both swan-necked and steam heated. The whisky is matured in bourbon and Montilla sherry casks. The bottling is made outside of Glasgow in Leven, Fife.
When was Oban wine released?
In 1998 the Distillers Edition Oban bottling was launched, which is matured on Montilla sherry casks. It was awarded a gold medal at the International Wines and Spirits Competition in 2002.
How old is Oban whiskey?
The flagship product from the Oban distillery is a 14 year aged scotch whiskey, which is seven times as old as the minimum requirement. That extra aging is designed to create a smoother and more delicious tasting spirit than the competition. During bottling a caramel coloring is added, which adds to the visual appeal of the spirit but doesn’t change the flavor or texture (or so they claim).
How many litres of spirit does Oban produce?
Despite the popularity, Oban still only operates a single wash and spirit still and produces 670,000 litres of spirit per year.
What is the Oban box?
Oban comes in a cylindrical box much like most of the better scotch whiskies on the market. The outside of the cylinder is wrapped with an illustration that appears to be done with pen and ink depicting the craggy shores on which the Oban distillery sits.
How long does Scotch whiskey last?
Traditionally, Scotch whiskey is barreled and aged for a minimum of three years before bottling, with most distillers extending that period to ensure that their spirits have picked up the right amount of flavor from the barrels.
What does a scotch drink smell like?
The closest thing I can compare it to is a dessert wine, heavy on the citrus and alcohol content. But there’s not just sweetness in the glass — the peaty aroma adds a depth and richness to the smell that is unique to the scotch family of spirits.
What is the oldest distillery in Scotland?
Dubbed the “Oban Distillery” after the Gaelic word for “little bay” (for the location of that small fishing village), it began operation and remains one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland.
Is bourbon the same as Scotch?
Bourbon is a very American drink, big and bold. Scotch, on the other hand, is a more delicate and delicious spirit with nuances and variations in flavor that could be compared to the terroir of a fine wine. When I’m feeling like a mellower drink, I turn to my trusty scotch collection. A staple of this collection is Oban — one ...
Where is Oban distillery?
Oban distillery ( / ˈoʊbən / ( listen) OH-bən; Scottish Gaelic: Taigh-stail an Òbain) is a whisky distillery in the Scottish west coast port of Oban. Established in 1794, it was built before the town of the same name, which sprung up later in the surrounding craggy harbour.
Who owns Aultmore Distillery?
It was then acquired by Walter Higgin in 1883 and rebuilt. In 1898, Alexander Edward, who also owned Aultmore Distillery, bought out Higgin.
How many pot stills does the Highlands have?
It has only two pot stills, making it one of the smallest in Scotland, producing a whisky that has been described as having a "West Highland" flavour that falls between the dry, smoky style of the Scottish islands and the lighter, sweeter malts of the Highlands.
