Oban 11-year-old - The Soul of Calypso

50+1+9+11+4

Once again a very positive surprise from Oban in the special releases. I'm not usually a fan of rum finishes, but I really like this one. The funky mix of sugary sweetness and leathery dirtiness works well for me.

Smell: Rum raisins, bananas and other tropical fruits, a pleasant sweetness comes to the fore, glucose, floral, fresh mint, behind it a slightly salty note. Taste: Fruity start, predominantly light fruits such as apple, pear and honeydew melon, vanilla sugar, then becomes stronger, white pepper and nutmeg, oily but also dry, in the background sea salt and subtly charred oak. Finish: Medium long, dry, spicy and a slight bitterness spreads. Conclusion: For me, a prime example of a summer whisky. Fresh aroma, combined with light fruitiness and underlined with a spicy maritime character.

Too sweet for me personally and there isn't much of a distillery character to be felt.

The rum cask seems to work well with the spirit but it could possibly have done with another summer in the cask to smooth some of the rough edges. Worth trying but I wouldn't pay for a full bottle.

20+20+19+20

A very decent dram with lots of fruit sweetness, apricots, mango and a nice spiciness in the form of chili. Dark chocolate with burnt plum jam in the finish highlights the flavors A drop of water turned this whisky into a solid mouthpiece. Much more delicate, sweeter, even dripping with mango juice, without alcohol and sea notes. Item available for purchase. The whisky itself receives an additional 3 points for adding water.

Straw color. Slight oiliness.

I personally hate rum finishes, and this whisky is no exception. The aroma is pineapple, floral, too sweet for my taste, maybe sweet corn at the end. The taste is close to new make and artificially sweetened rum... I tried, but no, I don't need this whisky....

I don't really like rum finishes, this one is no exception. Indistinct aroma, malty, sharp. It tastes better. Strong and sweet. The aftertaste is again rather grainy, alcoholic. Very light color, I wasn't too impressed.

If I wanted something like this I would buy industrial mezcal for half a price or less... Palate and finish are interesting but still want more from whisky of this price

N: Hola, what is that here? High esters, a maritime touch, but at the same time very funky like a Jamaican rum. S: Not easy, as far as I'm concerned. A bit boozy and dry and a lot of salt and pepper. The rum barrels drown out Oban's DNA. It lacks the tropical fruitiness of the rum and only offers the funkiness that we associate with it. F: In the medium finish I mainly get… pasticine. C: I had high hopes for this Oban, but it's the disappointment of the series for me. Shame!

Aged in ex Caribbean pot still rum barrels Color: white wine Some will argue that this whisky is actually a rum in disguise, but I found it really good and very original, completely different from the traditional Oban 14.

It has its good points, but overall it's too unbalanced. Pretty spicy.

A great release, the finish in the rum barrel has given it a nice Caribbean note and harmonizes well with the slightly salty maritime basic character. Lots of yellow and sour fruits. I think an ideal dram for the warm summer evening.

Tinned Delights on the Boardwalk The aroma featured a lovely melange of saltwater taffy, tropical fruits, and tin— like cracking a canned tropical fruit medley and biting into a slightly metallic pineapple chunk. Tart passionfruit curd teamed with rich brown sugar and sweet-funky fermenting orange rinds as more subtle notions of licorice and muddle mint cocktails developed in the background. Medium-bodied, the palate followed a similar path with more funky fermented fruits than on the nose and a bigger helping of peppery spirit prickle. The finish was nice, with tropical fruits and a metallic kiss waving goodbye. I found this a touch more youthful, sugary, and simple than the last couple of releases, though still perfectly pleasant to sip on. A few drops of water helped to dull the spirit and bring more typical orange notes out on the palate. I imagine an open bottle would develop beautifully as the spirit notes fade away. Since I thought water improved this a good bit, I rather wish it had just been bottled closer to 43-46% and packaged as an Oban limited edition rather than part of the Diageo 2023 Special Release lineup. Overall, lovely stuff—even though it felt more spirited and sugary-sweet, it had some of the complexity that was lacking in 2022, though both fell shy of the 2021 release. Sadly, there is not much Oban to go around, so one has to take what one can get.

Spicy aroma with neat oriental spices. Slightly woody, vanilla, malt. Oily and bright on the palate. Woody spicy shades, nuts. The finish is long and dry with spices and dried fruits.

I try to pay attention to the Scotch itself, regardless of its origin. I get heather, tropical fruit, some citrus, a spiciness that goes way beyond its origin as from Oban, to many, including me, a 2nd rate distillery. This is a first class dram, very worthy, full of complexity. Long aftertaste. A quality way beyond expectations.

Oban 11 Caribbean for €150 and so on, are you crazy???

It really does elevate this single malt, just not quite to extreme heights.

Oban Diageo Special Release 11 years 58% "The Soul of Calypso" Finished in Pot Still Rum casks The cask influence is noticeable from the first smell: exotic fruits such as mango and passion fruit, brown sugar, a touch of citrus. Add a pinch of salt on top. No, more like a walk on the beach, with the aroma of the sea on top. Really oily in the mouth, again wonderfully exotic and fruity. And here again a pinch of salt on top, but this time a combination of seasoned salt and salted caramel. PS: I never award points as a matter of principle... tastes are different

The nose is fine, but it becomes less so after that. It is dry, sharp, and relatively flat. It is also too salty at some point. Water does make it a little better; it becomes less dry and fruitier. But the salt has also completely disappeared, making the Oban character almost unrecognizable. Too bad because I expected more of it, but this Oban is, unfortunately, a bit disappointing.

Nose: There’s a lot of sweetness. Pineapple, papaya, mango, bananas. You can clearly feel the influence of rum barrels (even though the whisky has an incredibly light color). Taste: It’s much more dry. More classic whisky notes appear, and all the rumminess slowly disappears. Apples, honey, hair lacquer, dried dates, cherries. Finish: The finish is quite short with spicy notes - very warming.

While the non-smoking special releases this year managed to appear mature and full despite their rather young age, the Oban unfortunately comes across as incredibly fizzy and youthful. No rum barrel will help either. It's inexplicable who would pay 140 euros here.

Sorry. I don't like it. It lacks maturity. Unbalanced, metallic.

Aroma：Moderate；Palate：84/100; Aftertaste：Medium.

Immature, unbalanced, unpleasant. Oban can do better. Sorry, not my cup of tea.

S 7 Surprisingly well constructed. Although the price is quite steep. 81-85 - Another dram welcomed

shame on you Diageo

The floral notes stand out in the aroma, but the taste feels like soap or cilantro. There is a noticeable chili-like spiciness mixed in.