Oban 10 Year The Celestial Blaze (2022 Special Release)

Sweet, strong, hot, nice at the start, long finish that becomes rough at the end

Oban as a part Diageo's greatest malts, is always chosen to be a participant in their yearly Special Releases. It shows a mystical jumping Rabbit in the label, which is part of Oban's myths. Bottled at 57.1%abv, this one has been matured in American oak casks, and then finished in amontillado Sherry butts. On the nose, it starts with a very grapy - berries aroma. Smokey. Cotton candy, malted barley. It feels very sugary on the nose. More berries, hazelnut, chocolate. Super appealing. On the palate, it starts with grapes and vanilla. Blackberries, it is wild. An atomic explosion of salt has appeared out of nowhere, it is very powerful. Aftertaste has "Oban" written all over it. Salt, ginger, grapes. There is a ghostly second aftertaste of hazelnut. It appears 10 seconds later of the first finish. Overall, i really liked this dram. Diageo's special releases are not always memorable, but this one i might remember for a long time. Nothing too complex, this is just an enjoyable whisky. My score for it is 88 over 100.

Fruity flowery nose. Spicy peppery start. Floral finish that lingers awhile.

Too hot to get any of the flavors

The expert notes are dead on here. The only thing i’d add is i get a lot of buttered popcorn and white pepper.

Notes of yogurt-covered raisins along with the typical scotch maltiness

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Whisky Tasting, 19 November 2022). Nose: Sweet, toffee, kids sweets, strawberry laces, fruit salad sweets Palate: Spicy - white pepper, cloves, liquorice, cardamom. Floral - gorse, Orchard fruit - apples, pears. There's a slightly musty wood note. Finish: Long finish. Leather, menthol, citrus, musty wood, liquorice, dark chocolate, fresh chilli peppers The Celestial Blaze: Named after the Aurora Borealis / Northern Lights Aged in refill and virgin American oak. Further double maturation in ex-Amontillado sherry casks. Sweet and very spicy. There's a mustiness throughout that I would normally like, but it's unbalanced against the sweetness and spiciness in this whisky. It's not a bad dram, it has a complexity that would normally be great, but it's too 'jaggy' between the layers for my taste. Came third out of the six drams, with 8% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 38% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.