Oban

One of the six "Classic Malts", the others being Cragganmore, Talisker, Glenkinchie, Dalwhinnie and Lagavulin. It is a 14 year old Scotch Whisky from the Oban Distillery in Argyllshire, characterised by a full and rich body with a pungent nose and a palate dominated by peat.

It should be noted that the "Classic Malts" are a marketing gimmick from United Distillers, rather than some kind of "best of scotland" selection. Just the same, quite good scotches.

Oban is usually the best I can find in a decent bar, so I've had quite a bit of that. Compared to, say the Springbank, Abelour 15, or even the MacAllen 18, the Oban 14 is rather light for my taste. I can't agree with Mikey G that it has all that full of a body: it's very smooth and has a slow attack. The aroma is quite restrained, as is common to Highlands I have tried. As a result of all that, I've found that I suck back Oban faster than anything else.

This is an excellent place to begin single-malt scotch. Again a bargain, for about US$40.

Oban, A Coastal Town In Scotland

Oban is not only the name of an excellent Single Malt Whiskey but also a great little town in North - Argyll on the west coast of Scotland. Spared by the atlantic winds by the island of Kerrera which lies just in front of the town, Oban ("little bay" in Gaelic) is situated around a natural harbour.The distillery is down at the pier, giving the whiskey its salty nose.

It has a population of around 8000, pretty much everything you need to enjoy life, great air and a nice collection of pubs. Due to its role as the main ferry port to the inner and outer Hebrides and the largest town between Glasgow and Fort William it serves as the a sort of little capital of the West - Highlands and has a great new hospital that looks after an area of ca 800 square kilometers. Mull is only 1 hour away by ferry, Barra a little bit further with 6 hours sailing time.

Above Oban, on one of the numerous hills, looms McCaig's Tower (or McCaig's folly, as the locals call it): a 100 year old circular structure resembling Rome's Coliseum, it was build by the philanthropic banker J.S. Mc Caig to keep the local stonemasons from moving away and in business.

Although the whole town is in dire need of some proper local government to clean up its sometimes shabby appearance, it is still a magical place to live on an autumn evening when the last rays of the sun light up Kerrera and from somewhere the sad sound of a bagpipe wails over the loch.