Oban Distillers Edition 1998 Cask OD 162.FX

This 15 year old is a 1998 Distillers Edition drawn from cask reference OD 162.FX and bottled in 2013, one of the issues of a release that reached more than one market. It belongs to the line that gives Oban a Montilla Fino turn sherry, from the small distillery started in 1794 by two local merchants, John and Hugh Stevenson.

The whisky was first matured in ex-Bourbon oak and then rounded off in pale Fino wood, the palest of the sherry styles. Oban distils on two of Scotland's smallest stills and condenses the spirit in worms nested in the roof, the warm water tempering it into the rounded, fruity make before the dry sherry seasons it. The same edition was issued across several markets, so identical casks can appear under slightly different labels, this being the version sent to the Italian trade.

At 43% it leans savoury. Roasted almond, a faint biscuity note and a salty tang come from the dry sherry in place of dark fruit, the flor keeping the finish crisp while the oak gives a soft vanilla. The salt sharpens honey, orchard fruit and a coastal lift, a faint smoke trailing a long, dry close. Identical liquid to the standard 1998 edition, issued here for the Italian trade.