Oban 11 Year Diageo Special Release 2023 “The Soul of Calypso”

Scotch Whisky Review #490: Oban 11 Year Diageo Special Release 2023 “The Soul of Calypso”

Distillery: Oban.

Region: Highland.

Age: 11 Years.

ABV: 57.5%.

Cask Type: Finished in Caribbean Pot Still Rum Casks.

Color: 0.3, Pale Gold.

This is the 18th installment of this years’ Christmas Countdown. You can check out previous editions as well (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022).

Nose: Oh this is rum finished alright. You get a lot of it straight away with a lot of the funkiness. There’s something akin to a caramel popcorn to go along with it along with the tiniest bit of candlewax.

Palate: While it drinks a little hot, it isn’t undrinkable at full strength. Pineapple juice and sugar cane juice are what come to mind. A bit of water calms things down but the flavor profile remains the same. It is very sugary with the pineapple and sugar cane notes being entirely in control.

Finish: Medium in length. Very sugary, as in sugar water sugary. Some woody notes and a little bit of spice wrap things up.

Conclusion: I wouldn’t have pegged Oban as a distillery whose spirit is easily overridden. However, I think they’ve done it here. None of the maritime goodness I’d expect from an Oban is present, in fact I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t even recognize this as a malt whisky if served this blind. The rum cask has completely and totally taken over every aspect of this whisky from the start to the finish. Is it bad? Certainly not, it’s actually pretty tasty and fun. My problem with this is that there is nothing about this that tells you it’s a Scotch whisky much less an Oban and you probably are better off just drinking rum instead if you want this flavor profile.

Rating: 75.

Scotch Whisky Review #490, Highland Review #101, Whisky Network Review #654

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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