Nose: Oily cereal, peaches, vanilla, fresh wood, crushed dandelions, mustard, a trace of fortified wine. There is no peat smoke at all. Great nose 86/100 Palate: Spicy (ginger), very oily cereal and malt flavours. Grassy and herbaceous notes in the development (hay, tumeric, mustard greens, cress) together with a some bitter, astringent citrus pith and salinity. The texture is full and weighty. 83/100 Finish: Medium. Grassy cereal notes with chilli and ginger spice. There is a briny quality to the aftertaste. 83/100 This whisky is dynamically cask-driven, the mantilla fino finish contributing a great deal to its character. There is a grassy dryness and austerity on the palate that shouts “fino”, and after nosing the whisky several times this also comes through on the aromas. The nose has a pleasant woody note but it’s not as light and raw as pencil shavings nor as mature as old oak casks. It has sweetness and depth contributed by the fino but also a light, crisp character. It’s like a timberyard stacked with trimmed logs ready for the mill. In previous tastings of Oban Distillers Edition I’ve always found a subtle thread of smoke but that is completely absent here, and I can’t say I’m disappointed. It’s great to smell the bouquet without any occluding smoke. There is, however, a slight disconnect between the nose and palate as the nose is sweeter and deeper and it set you up to expect a particular palate profile that is then not delivered. What it does give is good, but unexpectedly spicy and dry. Still, it is a good whisky and one that would be particularly enjoyable as an aperitif. Tasted from a 30ml sample. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)