Oban 15 Year Cask Strength

Oban was founded in 1794 by John and Hugh Stevenson on the west coast of Scotland, across from the isle of Tobermorey. It is one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland, having only two pot stills and a distilling capacity under 700,000 liters a year. Because of distillery’s location in the town of Oban, the only avenue for expansion in recent years was discovered to contain remains of archaelogical significance and thus Oban was prevented from continuing. Due to the distillery’s limited production, the core range is not large, mostly comprising their standard 14 Year, Little Bay and Distillers Edition. This 15 Year Cask Strength is a US-exclusive release matured for over ten years and finished for four years in both ex-Oloroso and ex-Palo Cortado sherry casks from Andalusia, Spain.

Laphroaig 10 Year Sherry Oak

While Laphroaig had long experimented with different cask finishes in special releases like the Cairdeas line, less had been done with the standard expressions beyond an occasional cask strength release also under the Cairdeas aegis. The Laphroaig 10 Year Sherry Oak debuted in March 2021 as a limited release but soon transitioned into a part of the core range. Starting life along the same path as the distillery’s iconic Laphroaig 10, this whisky is then finished for 12 to 18 months in European oak ex-Oloroso sherry casks, marrying the new with the familiar.