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ObanWhisky Distillery
Oban Distillery |
Oban distillery is one of the oldest in Scotland – and
it is physically and spiritually at the heart of Oban: the "Gateway
to the Isles." In effect, the town grew up around the distillery
and since its foundation in 1794 it has played an important
role in local life.
Distillery owners and managers to the present day have embraced
this tradition of community involvement and hospitality - a
tradition that came naturally to John and Hugh Stevenson, founders
not only of the distillery at Oban but of the town itself.
They were local men - their mother had come from Port Appin
upon the death of their father, a stone mason. Both learned
the stonemason's craft. Hugh opened a shop selling whisky and
later took over slate quarries. His brother became a farmer,
architect and builder.
Together they established a boat building yard and a tannery
and, in the 1790s a brewery, which had become Oban distillery
by 1794. Two further generations of Stevensons continued the
family's business interests in Oban. Hugh's son, Thomas, who
had been farming in Buenos Aires, returned and purchased the
distillery and the slate quarries from his father and uncle's
trustees.
Later he built the Caledonian Hotel, but, alas, he ran into
financial difficulties through supporting his brother in a printing
business in Edinburgh. He attempted to satisfy his creditors
by supplying them with slates and whisky. His son, John, who
had been living in Peru, but who returned and took over the
running of the distillery in 1830, helped Thomas. He managed
Oban until shortly before his death in 1869, when it passed
out of the family.
In 1883 J. Walter Higgin bought the distillery. Between 1890
and 1894 he dismantled and rebuilt it bit by bit, in order to
keep it in production - such was the demand for Oban's malt.
He carefully replicated the famously small stills and other
traditional features in order to preserve the quality of the
whisky.
The distillery buildings and their internal arrangements are
substantially the same today as they were following Higgin's
refurbishment. Until recently only very exceptional malts were
bottled and sold as 'singles'. By contrast, Oban™ has
been enjoyed as a single malt since the 1880s.
Interestingly, during the refurbishment in the 1890s, a remnant
of Oban Bay's ancient beginnings was revealed when a cave (which
has now been resealed) containing Mesolithic human remains was
discovered behind the distillery.
Oban distillery is currently working on a new visitor experience
where visitors to the distillery will explore exactly what happens
in the process to produce Oban single malt's unique spirit character.
Together the guide and the visitor will explore each part of
the whisky making process, to discover which flavours come from
which parts of the process.
During the tour visitors will be able to nose the new make
spirit, and be given the oppertunity to enjoy some cask strength
Oban straight from the cask.
Senior Site Manager: Brendan McCarron
Opening Times
January - Closed
February
Monday to Friday, 12.30pm - 4pm.
March to Easter
Monday to Friday, 10am - 5pm.
Easter to June
Monday to Saturday, 9.30am - 5pm.
July to September
Monday to Friday, 9.30am - 7.30pm.
Saturday & Sunday 9.30am - 5pm
October
Monday to Saturday, 9.30am - 5pm.
November
Monday to Friday, 10am - 5pm.
December
Monday to Friday, 12.30pm - 4pm.
(Closed 25-28th December)
Last Tour is ONE hour and 15 minutes before closing.
Admission
Adults: £7.00 and £3.50 for kids. A gift will be
presented to every visitor during the tour. This charge includes
a discount voucher, which is redeemable in the distillery shop
towards the purchase of a 700ml bottle of single malt whisky.
Admission is free to all Friends of the Classic Malts.
Contact Us
Oban Distillery
Oban Argyll
PA34 5NH Scotland
Telephone: +44 (0) 1631 572002
Visitors Center +44 (0) 1631 572002
Fax: +44 (0) 1631 572006
Email: Oban
Distillery
Courtesy of Oban
Editor's Note: There's a rumor floating around that the
Oban Distillery was burned down to the ground and no longer exists.
I have been hearing this now for a couple of years and still receive
e-mails from worried, loyal Oban fans asking me about it. This
is simply just a rumor. The Oban Distillery (which is still
in operation) is Diageo's second smallest distillery and because
of its popularity and the high demand, the Distillery simply has
a difficult time just trying to keep up. Another small note -
all of the production from the Oban Distillery goes to single
malt production and none is used for any of the blends of Diageo
whiskies. ~ Joanne Bergstrom, Whisky.com Editor 2/27/09 |
Oban
is the frontier between the West Highlands and the Islands;
the meeting place between land and sea. A perfect, sheltered
harbour makes it the principal seaport for the Isles and the
capital of the West Highlands. It has a mild, temperate climate,
warmed by the Gulf Stream and washed (too often, some might
say) by the soft rain that often falls hereabouts. This misty,
briny character, with a background of heather and peat, is perfectly
echoed in the malt whisky produced at Oban. 
