“An Expensive But Ineffective Finish”
Country: Scotland
Region: Highland (West)
Brand: Oban 1998 Montilla Fino Finish (Distillers Edition)
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 15 Years
ABV: 43 %
Colour: Amber with a touch of Orange
Nose: Sweet, Malty and Floral with Barley, Hay, Honey, Heather, Orchard Fruit, Nuts and Raisins, Butter Kekse (German Butter Biscuits), light Vanilla, Toffee, light Oak, Orange Zest and Apricot Preserves. Some Mineral tones and hints of Earth, Salt and Leather. It's all quite Laid-Back and the Alcohol is quite nicely integrated. I can't say that the Montilla finish left a huge mark on this Oban. I could imagine that many Whisky drinkers would appreciate the Soft Aroma profile of this Oban. I find it slightly boring though.
Palate: Malty, Medium-Sweet, Creamy and mildly Spicy with Sweet Barley, Nuts, Toffee, Marzipan, Honey, Apricot Preserves, Raisins, Orange Peel, Pepper, Salt, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cinnamon and a bit of Dark Chocolate.
Finish: Middle-Long, Creamy and Mildly Spicy with Sweet Malt, Marzipan, Toffee, Honey, Hazelnuts, Dried Fruit, Pepper, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Mint, Ginger, Soft Licorice and a pinch of Salt.
I added a bit of Water and on the Palate you get some extra Oak, Spices and a hint of Bitter Chocolate. I prefer it neat but you can experiment with a bit of Water.
Rating: 82.5
Nose: 21 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 20.5
Jan van den Ende April 27, 2015
General Remarks: The Oban distillery is one of the smallest in Scotland and was founded in 1794. It is located in the seaport of the same name on the frontier between the Western Highlands and the Isles. This is where Peat and Heather meet Salt and Seaweed! Today, Oban is owned by the Diageo Group. Lots of Oban spirit is used in Blends like Bell's. But the standard 14 Years is now part of the Classic Malt Series. The Montilla Finish I'm reviewing today is basically the 14 Years that matured in Ex-Bourbon Casks before being finished for an additional period in Ex-Montilla Fino casks. Montilla is a quite Sweet Dessert Wine from the Cordoba region in Spain. The Oban Montilla Finish is sold at around 100 US Dollars. That's quite expensive. One of the reasons for the high price seems to be the limited water supply to the distillery from Loch Gleann and Loch Bhearraidh. Another one is that the Distillery can't expand as it's located in the middle of the town and completely surrounded by lots of other buildings.
Drinking Experience Neat: Good
Conclusion: The Oban 1998 is one of those Single Malts that I struggle with when reviewing. I can't find anything against it and it combines very clear Highland characteristics with the tiniest coastal traces. But at the same time I find it too boring for my taste. And the Montilla Finish does not really add clear additional Aromas and Flavours to the Oban 14 to justify the very stiff price difference. In the end I gave both of them the same score. So if the Standard Oban 14 was to your liking you can safely stay with it. It would be great if the Oban 1998 Montilla Finish was as lively and colourful as the city where it was distilled. But unfortunately we're not living in a perfect world!
Jan van den Ende April 27, 2015
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“2015 Whisky Blogger of the Year”
Dear Friends,
A couple of weeks ago twenty Whisky Bloggers from all over the world were nominated for the 2015 Whisky Blogger of the Year competition. People from all over the world casted their votes. And while I did not get to the final 5 of this competition many of you took the time to vote for me. Many thanks for that. I really appreciate that and it's a big driver for me to continue and try to improve with each review. The following Bloggers did make it to the final 5:
In the end Ruben from Belgium won the contest and I want to extend my warm congratulations to him. Well done and a Good Choice. Once Again, thanks to all of you for your kind support!
Cheers!
Jan
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