Oban Bay Reserve The Night’s Watch

Oban Bay Reserve was released as The Night's Watch, part of the 2018 Game of Thrones collection that paired Diageo distilleries with houses from the series. Oban took the role of the cold, sea facing Wall, a fitting match for a coastal West Highland malt from the small distillery in production since 1794 in the harbour town of Oban.

This no age statement bottling was matured in ex-Bourbon American oak, the soft wood that shows the distillery character clearly. The spirit is made the traditional way, long fermentation and slow distillation through the little lamp glass stills, condensed in the wooden worm tub condensers whose heavy copper contact keeps the make mild, fruity and faintly coastal. The Game of Thrones whiskies paired each Diageo distillery with a house or location from the series, and Oban's coastal, faintly smoky make suited the cold northern Wall well.

Bottled at 43%, it is a clean, lightly smoky West Highlander. Vanilla rises from the lignin in the toasted wood, a coconut note follows from the oak lactones, and the cask sets honey, orchard fruit and citrus against Oban's clear coastal brine. A thread of soft smoke evokes the cold of the Wall, the finish long, malty and briny.