For two centuries Oban’s bustling fishing village has set on the frontier of the West Highlands and the Islands, at the meeting place of land and sea. One of Scotland’s oldest licensed distilleries, Oban’s sheltered harbour is perfect for two thing – seafaring and whisky making. Oban is the frontier between the West Highlands and the Islands. Its mild, temperate climate, warmed by the Gulf Stream, sets it apart in a region known for its rugged natural beauty. The proximity to the coast lends Oban some of that salted character for which the Islands are renown, though this is as gentle as the soft rains which give the fishing town its lush surrounds. Founded by Hugh Stevenson, a local merchant and entrepreneur, in 1794, the distillery has formed part of the town’s backbone ever since. Between 1883 and 1887 a man by the name of J. Walter Higgin made vast improvements. This was done bit by bit, in order to keep it in production and so meet the constant demand for Oban Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Today, Oban is made using only the finest barley, malted to the distillery's own particular specification, and finally distilled using those lamp glass-shaped stills. With just a hint of salt spray andbalancing autumn fruits and sea air, Oban whisky owes its rich and rewarding Highland character to its very long fermentation process. The tiny lamp glass-shaped copper pot stills that make Oban’s Scotch are among the smallest in Scotland, and the liquor they distill is slowly condensed in wooden worm tubs outside among the rooftops, exposed to the salted sea air, bringing a distinct depth of flavour said to go very well with salted caramel.