Oban Distillers Edition 14 Years Old 2003

This 14 year old comes from a 2003 vintage bottled in 2017, the Distillers Edition finished in Montilla Fino casks. It is from the small distillery at Oban first run in 1794, set in the harbour town, working two of the smallest stills in the country.

After its ex-Bourbon ageing the whisky was finished in the palest, driest sherry. Oban's spirit is built on long fermentation and a slow run through narrow necked pot stills, cooled in hot worm tubs that draw out the copper contact, keeping the make clean and fruity beneath the dry Fino. Montilla Fino comes from a warm corner of southern Spain where flor grows readily, and the casks lend a pale, dry, nutty character quite distinct from the dark fruit of a sherry butt.

At 43% the dram drinks crisp and dry. The cask contributes almond, a dry nuttiness and a clear brine rather than raisin, the oak adding a light vanilla. Honey and orchard fruit lift beneath, a wisp of smoke running through a long, nutty finish. The effect is saline and crisp, the dry wood lending savour and a nutty edge while Oban's honeyed, coastal core stays clearly in place beneath it.