Oban’s distillery is significantly smaller than most, and sits along the town’s elegant promenade, mere steps from the busy bay. Fresh, salty sea air wafts through the streets of this small town. How do I know this? Because this freshness is encapsulated in Oban’s whisky. Just pour a dram of it into a glass, close your eyes and smell. You’re as good as there, standing next to the distillery’s bright red chimney, such is this whisky’s quality.

And that’s not all you get: the sea air is charmingly aligned with a wonderful smokey quality that greets you firmly, like an old friend. That is not to say that the nose is simply a bombardment of two rather bold sensations; quite the opposite. Nose it sufficiently and hints of orange and pear emerge to balance the whisky out perfectly. And, if one really is patient here, citrus fruits join the party (dare I say, fashionably late).

This becomes ever more abundant in the tasting. The whisky takes on a lovely sweet flavour, with repeated and intense bursts of sweetness emerging. It is both rich, complex and full of fruit – surely where the bourbon casks have had their influence. One thing is apparent: the Oban is a teaser. The nose sends you straight to the Highland coast, but the taste? The taste seems to send you somewhere else entirely.

Yet just as you acknowledge this, Oban has one final trick up its sleeve, because that wonderful sea air makes a return as the whisky goes down, beginning a long, pleasant finish. A release of smoke hits the palate, followed by the merest hint of liquorice. The fruits, having been pushed to one side, make their return once the smoke has bowed out, leaving sweet sensations in abundance. It is no surprise that the town has built up around the distillery. This is a superb whisky that deserves all the accolades it has received.  Now, please excuse me whilst I pour another glass…

Nose 20, Taste 22, Finish 20, Balance 20

Overall 82