A whisky distillery was founded in Oban on Scotland's west coast in 1794 and this was the first place Olga and I visited on our weekend visit to this picturesque town. The building was built before the rest of the town was established and is located next to the harbour. A whisky fan or not, a visit to the distillery should be on everyone's list (well, as long as you are over 18 years old of course).
Whilst doing the tour we learnt it has only two pot stills (distillation apparatus) which makes the site one of the smallest in Scotland. Although the distillery used to sit upon the bay itself, it has since moved further back following the construction of the town harbour. Now situated just two-hundred and eight steps from the water, the distillery remains at sea level, with the salty air and local climate remaining a part of what makes the whisky such a unique and complexly flavourful proposition. Some of the equipment has been updated to further refine the process, parts of the distillery have been in use for over a hundred years, helping to maintain consistency in the product’s flavour profile; favouring mostly wooden condensers in favour of modern shell and tube models, these traditional methods filter out harsher notes from the final product, allowing for a fruitier, full-bodied taste.
Whilst tasting the whisky here, the flavour is different to the other distilleries we have visited in Scotland. The Oban Distillery describes the taste as a ‘West Highland’ flavour which is an in-between mix of the dry, smoky style of whisky being made in the Scottish islands (say, like Orkney) and the Highlands (which has a lighter texture and they used the malts in the region).
Here are some of the tasting notes which I took on the tour and here are the whisky's I tried that day:
Oban Whisky 14 years old.
Had a honey-sweet smell after the fruity alcoholic burn (which I liked). A little salty. A little malty. Then the sweetness makes way for the zesty, orange and citrus flavours. Then finished off with a little smoke and orange zest
Oban Whisky 11 years old cask strength
Sweet marzipan and Christmas flavour added to the mix. Very light and sweet after the 55.7% punch and burn of alcohol. Sweet and tingly which made this very warming
The distillery houses a museum and shop to buy the whisky. We brought a bottle of the 14-year old matured whisky and we still haven’t opened it yet. Tours are available year-round. The standard tour includes three drams of Oban whisky and an insight into the whisky making process, including the still house. You can also enjoy a tutored tasting with four drams. Book ahead as there is limited availability on these tours. Full details can be found here.
Essential information on Oban
How to get to Oban: By plane, the nearest international airports are Glasgow and Edinburgh. There are great connections from both airports to the city centre by public transport to connect to rail services to get around the rest of the country. The first place I would go to find airline tickets to the city is using (I would recommend) Skyscanner to find flights as that is my first point of call. Then if necessary use the airlines directly to find a good deal. I sometimes use Momondo as well to compare prices before booking.
By train, from Glasgow Central, it takes about three hours and thirty minutes and only a few a day run. Check Scotrail for rail times and ticket prices.
By car, coming the Glasgow and Edinburgh direction, take the M8 westbound all the way to Junction 30 and take M898 (a short motorway) to the end, and then head West on the A82 (signposted - Crianlarich). Follow the A82 for quite some time (passing through Crianlarich), until a junction with the A85 (signposted Oban) where you need to turn left there. Follow this road and it will take you into Oban via the northern side of the town. For those for the ferry port, stay on the A85 until a roundabout in the heart of town. Go straight over following signs for the ferry port and its there (next to the rail station). This is the most straightforward route from Glasgow to Oban and takes about two and a half hours.
However, I took both routes into Oban and the second takes a bit longer and is more scenic (how can this route be more scenic than the other, this part of Scotland is stunning all around!). Take the A82 north along Loch Lomond then take the turning to the west in Tarbet (Signposted - Arrochar and Campbeltown). Initially, follow the A83 to Inveraray and from there, take the A819 until you hit the A83 by Loch Awe and continue from there into the heart of Oban.
Car Rentals - as I do a lot of road trips around the world, I use Rentalcars.com which is very reliable for booking car hire in advance. I also use Turo (the airbnb of car rentals) and never had a problem with them. The cars are insured, owners vetted and never had an issue.
Accommodation: There are a lot of accommodation options and a lot of websites which can do some great deals. My first point of call is always Booking.com and can offer a range of hostels, hotels, campsites, apartments, guesthouses and bed and breakfasts.. After that I always have a look through AirBnb and Vrbo for great deals on apartments and other lodgings especially when traveling as a family.
Currency: Scotland uses the British Pound Sterling currency and also has their own bank notes from the Bank of Scotland which is also legal tender anywhere else in the United Kingdom. Currency can be exchanged at the airports and train stations (for a huge fee) so I would recommend either going to a currency exchange place downtown, to a bank (if they have good rates) or if you got a good bank account with fantastic exchange rates, then use an ATM machine (may incur a small fee but I always do this option as I got good bank accounts). A great website I use to compare currency exchange rates is https://xe.com XE, which gives people up to date information.
Language: Scotland uses English but they also have their own language in the highlands and western isles (mainly) called Gaelic. Although speakers of the Scottish language were persecuted over the centuries, Gaelic is still spoken today by around 60,000 Scots. Endowed with a rich heritage of music, folklore and cultural ecology, Gaelic in Scotland is thriving and enjoying a revival!
Travel insurance: This is essential to anywhere you go in the world. I always carry travel insurance. Having travel insurance will cover you from theft, illness and those annoying cancellations which can happen on the road. Safety Wing offers coverage for a lot of adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and so forth.
Need a visa for the UK? Always check if you need a visa when coming to the United Kingdom. Since leaving the European Union because of BrExit in January 2020, visa rules apply for those coming from the European Union.
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Please note that while I was not working with Oban Distillery, my review and experiences written about in this post are 100% genuine. I value my readers too much to lie to you. My blog would be nothing without you and your continued support! There maybe some links above which are affiliate and are at no additional cost to you. If my readers use them, I earn a commission to buy their products and remember, I only mentioned products and companies I use. The income from this keeps this website going. Thank you.
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