Oban Little Bay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Oban Little Bay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

After moving with their widowed mother to the small port city of Oban (situated in northwest Scotland), John and Hugh Stevenson took jobs building and repairing boats at the city's boatyard, a trade they had learned from their late father. In the 1790s, the brothers left their boat-making jobs and founded a brewery in the city. In 1794, they converted their brewery into Oban Distillery, one of the oldest and most prestigious distilleries in Scotland. For nearly a century, Oban Distillery remained in the hands of the Stevenson family. In 1883, however, J. Walter Higgin purchased the distillery and began renovations. While Higgin renovated both the distillery's equipment and structure, he did so piecemeal in order to ensure that the distillery was able to meet the uninterrupted demand for its whisky. Today, over 100 years later, Oban Distillery remains substantially the same as it was after Higgin's refurbishment. Oban Single Malt Whisky is made using 100% barley, which is malted to the distillery's exact specifications. After the barley is malted, it is partially germinated and gently dried over a peat kiln, giving it a slightly smoky, malty flavor profile. Then, the malted barley is mashed and fermented before being twice-distilled through Oban's lantern-shaped copper-pot stills. The stills are among the smallest in Scotland, and limit Oban's production to just 650,000 liters of whisky annually. Oban Little Bay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (Oban means little bay in ancient Gaelic) is crafted by taking mature Oban Single Malt Scotch Whisky and resting the whisky in small casks for some time. This extra maturation exposes the whisky to new and fresh oak, resulting in a deeper smoothness and richer flavor. Oban Little Bay Single Malt Scotch Whisky has a deep aroma of sea salt, rich oak tannins, espresso beans and citrus. Notes of dried spices, Christmas cake, brown sugar and oak dominate the palate, and lead to an elegant finish with touches of smoke and fruit.