Oban 11 Years Old Hand Filled Distillery Exclusive Batch 6

This Batch 6 hand filled bottling is one of the small distillery only bottlings visitors fill and label at Oban itself, making each batch scarce. The make comes from the West Highland harbour distillery that John and Hugh Stevenson built in 1794, still running two of the smallest stills in the country.

The whisky was matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks, marrying the soft sweetness of bourbon wood with the dark fruit of sherry. The spirit is distilled slowly and condensed in the wooden worm tub condensers for generous copper contact, giving the mild, fruity base that takes both cask styles cleanly. Marrying bourbon and sherry wood in one bottling lets the lighter cask carry the distillery character while the Oloroso adds depth, a balance the distillery team judges by taste rather than formula.

Bottled at a natural 57.5%, it is rich and full. Vanillin from the broken down lignin gives vanilla while the Oloroso cask's melanoidins add raisin, fig and a walnut depth, the two woods layering sweet and dark fruit together. Oban's honey and a briny lift sit beneath, the finish long, nutty and gently smoky, opening with a little water.