A bustling seaside resort has grown up around the distillery in the two centuries since it was first built in the fishing town of Oban. The West Highland malt is still produced in the same unhurried, traditional fashion and this 14 year old is a classic whisky from the distillery.
Smoky, maritime nose with hints of sticking plasters and toffee brittle.
Smoky, creamy palate with notes of marmalade, toffee apples and pear cider. A development of cloves comes late palate.
A long, malty finish with toasty oak and spice.
A true classic, Oban's 14 year old is a great coastal dram for lovers of lightly smoked, fresh malts.
Was: £192.90Now: £191.90
I'll hold off on providing an actual star rating as I am largely unfamiliar with the smoky scotches but I was able to try a dram of this yesterday evening and found it be basically undrinkable. A lot of the reviews here indicate a light smokiness but the dram I had reaked of smoke and sea and if that was light smoke then I can't imagine how smoky a Lagavulin would be. It was definitely not for me.
As Ron Burgundy said "Scotchy Scotch Scotch" This is the Scotch I think about. A great smooth scotch to end the night with and I have done that plenty.
I really enjoyed Oban 14. It has a great floral nose and taste with just a HINT of smoke but it really shouldn't scare off people who aren't partial to peaty, smokey, islay malts. It's just a nice little cherry on top of the bright and uplifting flavor this brings to the table Will absolutely be buying another bottle. The price ranges from as low as $62-$75 in CT
a fine drink, but the medicinal notes and tarry ropes are faint whispers in the background. I get more orange and oak to the fore. the orange is interesting but out of place for me, in much the same way as a slice of orange doesn't work in a cup of tea. the rest actually reminds me of a Balvenie, pretty boring oakfest
When I first tried Oban 14 several years ago I enjoyed it, but it didn't really stand out for me. But, up to that point I had only really tried the most common (generally light Speyside) single malts. Over the years I've gained a lot more experience and having recently revisited Oban a few times, I really appreciate it for its overall quality, its richness, and its distinctive balance of flavors. Lots of different elements represented in a subtle but very satisfying way. If you're in the mood for something very "easy" to drink, but with more fullness and character than average, this is truly a winner. The tasting notes here could be misleading - medicinal notes and "notes of the sea" are definitely present, but not at all in the sense of a Laphroaig or Lagavulin. Again, its just much more subtle as far as those elements go.
