Oban Distillers Edition 2023

This is the 2023 release of Oban's Distillers Edition, the annual line that finishes the West Highland malt in Montilla Fino sherry, again as a no age statement bottling. The make is from one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland, working since 1794 in the fishing port of Oban and still working two little stills.

The whisky was matured in ex-Bourbon oak and then finished in dry Fino wood, the driest of the sherry styles. The spirit comes off lamp glass stills run gently and condenses in wooden worm tubs warmed to stretch the copper contact, tempering a heavy system into the mild, fruity make that gives the pale sherry a clean base. The line has carried the same Montilla Fino finish for decades, and recent no age statement releases keep that signature while drawing on a range of ages rather than one vintage.

At 43% it leans to the savoury. Roasted almond, a faint bready note and a salt tang come from the dry sherry rather than sweet fruit, the flor keeping it dry while spent lignin lends a soft vanilla. The salt lifts honey and citrus, a wisp of smoke trailing a long, dry close. A current release, easy to find, and true to the dry coastal style the line has always kept.