Oban, Prima & Ultima Fourth Release, 26 Year Old, 1996

Oban is a much loved whisky from one of Diageo’s smallest distilleries. These are the very last casks from 1996 and unusually for Oban they are refill European Oak butts. This departure from the American Oak usually used for Oban maturation has allowed a more pronounced maritime character to shine, with dry coastal aromas and peppery spice notes more amplified than typically found in this whisky. The whisky was distilled under the watch of Ian Williams, a true legend in the whisky industry, who managed Oban from 1983 -1999. In this same period his team won the highly competitive internal Manager’s Dram award a record three times.