Oban 14 Single Malt

Classification: Single Malt
Distillery: Oban Distillery
Region/Island: West Highland
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Age: 14 Years
Proof: 86

There’s whisky you drink, and there’s whisky you court. Oban 14 is the kind you buy flowers for and hope she says yes to another date.

Nose: Starts off like a Highland welcome — firm handshake (that’s the alcohol burn), then opens into heather honey, bright citrus, and a polite wisp of smoke. It’s as if the coastline decided to wear a spritz of perfume.

Taste: First sip is a fruit basket on holiday — orchard apples, maybe a pineapple that got lost on the way to the tropics — all carried on a sturdy malt backbone. A pinch of salt wanders in like a fisherman at the bar, followed by oak spice that leans in for a quiet word.

Finish: Lingers like an old story you’ve heard a dozen times but still love — orange zest fades, the smoke hangs back, not trying to steal the show but making sure you know it’s there.

Verdict: Salty, malty, sweet, zesty, smoky… it’s basically Scotland in a glass, minus the midges.