Oban 14 Year Single Malt Scotch

So after sipping my Balvenie Single Barrel for awhile, I decided it was time for another bottle of single malt scotch. I've stopped by a few liquor stores during the past couple of months, but all I did was browse the scotch aisle.

Last week on my way to Finale's, I stopped by the wine place next door. They were closing, but the owner was gracious enough to let us in and browse. I struck up a conversation with him, and we discussed my scotch experiences. After describing my progression from blends to single malts, he commented that my palate seems to be developing right along and gave me a brief summary of his journey. I left that night with a bottle of Oban 14 Year Single Malt Scotch ($64.99), which was what the owner described as a nice "next step" on my single malt journey. He encouraged me to stop by and tell him what I thought.


Well, I didn't really have a chance to sip it right away, but a couple nights ago before bed, I poured myself a bit to try. On the nose, it smelled sweeter than the Balvenie. So that right away got me a bit excited. I took a nice sip and let it linger in my mouth. There were hints of sweetness and spice, and it finished quite nice (haha..). I didn't get a lot of burn, and I couldn't really remember how the Balvenie was like. So I poured myself a bit of the Balvenie and went back and forth. In the end, the Balvenie definitely left a presence after the sip. The burn lasts a bit and really warms you up. I also thought the Balvenie was bolder and demanded attention, whereas the Oban was smoother and softer. I don't favor one over the other, just as I don't favor one particular beer, but it was nice to have a different single malt. I'll enjoy this bottle for a bit before moving on to another step.

One thing I do have to note is that after trying the single malts, the Johnnie Walker blends just aren't the same. Granted I've only had the Black Label and the Gold Label, but I had some of those a few months back, and they are lacking compared with the singles. I've had a shot of Blue Label once, and I'll admit that was very smooth, but I haven't had that for a while and can't give that a good comparison. Maybe, when I have a spare couple Benjamins, I'll get a bottle to keep on hand. For now, the Oban will be good enough!

Note: After writing this, just found out Oban is owned by Diageo, which owns among all their liquor companies Johnnie Walker! They also own some other names such as J&B, Guinness, Crown Royal, Captain Morgan's, Bailey's, etc....