Well, hello September! In what appears to be a blink of the eye, fall is upon us. Fall and Winter for me are whisky drinking seasons so let’s kick this month off with some Scotch. A year ago, I kicked Fall off with Oban 14, so let’s do it again with an older expression.

Oban to me is the cousin of the peaty island whiskies. I say that because it’s not peaty but some of their expressions can have subtle smoke notes. Oban (in Gaelic means Little Bay) sits right in between the West Highlands and the Hebrides Islands. This coastal distillery is one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland with only 7 employees. It might be small, but its products are certainly mighty.

This 18-year expression was a limited edition and can be hard to find. It is matured an extra four years in American Oak casks.

Nose: banana, salt, and smoke
Palate: smoke, salt, dark chocolate, and spices
Finish: lightly sweet, caramel, spices, and salt
Cost: $140-$160 (msrp)
ABV: 43%

This is smooth whisky. It is salty, smoky, and lightly sweet. The most prominent note to me is salt and that is followed by smoke. The smoke notes are true smoke notes not to be confused with peat smoke. If you don’t like any of those notes you are going to like this. The sweet notes are there but quite fleeting.

I absolutely love it! This is my type of whisky and the ones I look for in those colder days. It is beautifully made, easy to drink and, after I finished a dram, I went back for another. It’s delicious.

Cheers!

Note: The contents on my blog are solely my opinion. To me every palate is different! Although I may or may not like a product, I always recommend for people to try it and make up their own minds.