Oban Just Dropped a New Port Cask–Finished Single Malt Whisky
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About a year ago, the small Scottish coastal distillery Oban released what was one of the best single malts of the year as part of its new 15-year-old, cask-finished series. The second installment just arrived a few weeks ago, and while it’s not as good as the first one, it’s still a very tasty new whisky that is worth checking out.
Oban’s whisky-making history dates back to the late 18th century. Located along the coast in the Highland region, in the town of the same name, it’s one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland, and it makes whisky in some of the smallest stills in the industry. The core lineup consists of a pair of age statements—14 and 18 years old—along with some non-age statements expressions. The distillery uses peat for some of its whisky, but those expressions are only lightly peated compared to Islay whiskies or even a distillery like Talisker. In 2025, the distillery launched the first whisky in its 15-year cask-finished series, the 15-year-old Cask Strength Sherry Cask Finish, which we thought was outstanding. The new single malt is called Oban Aged 15 Years Port Cask Finish, and as you can tell by the name, this is a very different whisky.
“Oban 15 Port Cask Finish is a celebration of the journeys that have always defined our distillery and many others around the world,” said Jesse Damashek, senior VP of whiskey at Diageo, in a statement. “By bringing together Oban’s coastal roots and the deep, sweet influence of American oak ruby port casks, we’ve created a whisky that remains true to our character while offering something layered, expressive, and deeply rewarding to savor.” Specifically what that means is that the whisky was initially aged in American oak hogshead barrels before being finished in American oak port casks for an undisclosed amount of time. The whisky was then bottled at 52.1 percent ABV, or 104.2 proof, which was not cask strength like the original release.
This is very recognizably a port cask-finished whisky, with notes of juicy grapes, dried fruit, fig, and raisin on the palate, along with flavors like dark chocolate, toasted almond, and dark roasted espresso beans. Does the maritime influence that Oban touts shine through? The power of suggestion is strong, but I don’t really get much salinity here. Regardless, this is a very good whisky, even if it doesn’t quite meet the very high standards that were set by that stupendous first release.
You can currently find Oban 15 Port Cask Finish available to purchase around the country and at websites like ReserveBar (SRP $130).
