Oban distillery (/ˈoʊbən/ OH-bən;[1] Scottish Gaelic: Taigh-stail an Òbain) is a Highland single malt Scotch whisky distillery located in the Scottish west coast port of Oban. Established in 1794, it was built before the town of the same name, which sprang up later in the surrounding craggy harbour.[2]
 | |
| Region: Highland | |
|---|---|
| Location | Oban |
| Owner | Diageo |
| Founded | 1794 |
| Founder | John and Hugh Stevenson |
| Status | Operational |
| Water source | Two lochs in Ardconnel |
| No. of stills | 1 wash 1 spirit |
| Capacity | 670,000 litres per year |
| Oban | |
| Age(s) | 14, 18, 21, 32 |
| Oban Distiller's Edition | |
Oban distillery is owned by Diageo. It has only two pot stills, making it one of the smallest in Scotland, producing a whisky that has been described as having a "West Highland" flavour that falls between the dry, smoky style of the Scottish islands and the lighter, sweeter malts of the Highlands.[3]
History
editThe distillery was built in 1794 by the brothers John and Hugh Stevenson and operated by them until 1866, when it was bought by Peter Curnstie. It was then acquired by Walter Higgin in 1883 and rebuilt. [4]
In 1898, Alexander Edward, who also owned Aultmore Distillery, bought out Higgin company. In its first year of operation, it suffered major losses when a major blending company, Pattisons of Leith, went under. In 1923. [5]
Oban was sold to Dewars and joined Distillers Company with that company in 1925[6]. It fell silent from 1931 until 1937. and again from 1969 to 1972 when a new still house was built.[6][7]
In 1986, Guinness acquired the Distillers Company in 1986.[8] In 1989 a new visitors' centre was installed. In 1997 Guinness, merged with Grand Metropolitan to form Diageo plc,[9]
Bottlings
editThe Oban Distillery is primarily known for its 14-year-old malt, which is marketed as part of Diageo's "Classic Malts Selection" range, launched in 1988. Also available is a "Distiller's Edition" bottling, which is finished in a Montilla Fino sherry cask before bottling. There is also an 18-year-old limited edition and a rare 32-year-old edition which is limited to 6000 bottles. In December 2014 Oban introduced a NAS (non-age-statement) bottling, called Oban "Little Bay". In 2023, Diageo released an 11-year-old Oban called "The Soul of Calypso" as part of the Special Releases. It was matured in Caribbean rum casks.[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ John Butler. "Pronunciation of Scotch Whiskys". School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 12 Oct 2014.
- ^ "Oban Distillery - The Distilleries of Scotland". Scotchwhisky.net. 2007-06-25. Retrieved 2016-11-24.
- ^ "Oban 14 Year Old". Archived from the original on 2009-01-25. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
- ^ MacLean, Charles (2012). Whiskypedia; An Introduction to Scotch Whisky. Birlinn.
- ^ MacLean, Charles (2012). Whiskypedia; An Introduction to Scotch Whisky. Birlinn.
- ^ a b Weir, Ronald Blackwood (1994). The History of the Distillers Company, 1877-1939. Clarendon Press.
- ^ "Oban Scotch Whisky Distillery". The Definitive Online Guide to Scotch Whisky.
- ^ Diageo: History
- ^ Spirits soar at Diageo Archived 12 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ""Spirited Xchange": Infos zu Diageo Special Releases 2023 veröffentlicht • CaptainScotch.de". CaptainScotch.de (in German). 2023-09-19. Retrieved 2023-09-19.