Day 8: September 24, 2023 (A Whisky Experience)

Sylvia & Katia

After many days of getting up early we finally had the chance to sleep in. But at same time most of us didn’t want to waste our time in Oban so we (Katia, Alessandra, Meret, Delia, Sara, Miro and Sylvia) went to have brunch together in a small café with a great sea view and considered ourselves to be pretty lucky to have this experience and make these amazing memories. The atmosphere was really relaxing. The waiter was friendly enough and gave us free toast. Then we went for a walk since the weather wasn’t that cold, for some souvenir shopping for friends and family at home. After a successful shopping trip our class split up into two groups for our tour in Oban’s whisky distillery. Sadly, no taste testing for us :(. Thanks to our tour guides we had a very fun and educational experience.

Oban Whisky Distillery produces a renowned single malt Scotch whisky. We were told that single malt means that only three ingredients, barley, yeast and water are being used to make this whisky. The production process involves malting barley, mashing, fermentation, distillation in copper pot stills, maturation in oak casks, and careful blending before bottling. Oban's whisky is known for its balanced flavour profile, often featuring fruity and citrus notes with a subtle sea salt influence due to its coastal location. The distillery's unique character is shaped by its maritime surroundings. 

The bottled whisky is distributed globally, and seems to be particularly popular in the United States. This is why the distillery is producing seven days a week nowadays. Despite its global popularity, Oban distillery operates from quite a small building in the middle of town. When it was founded in 1794, Oban was nothing more than a little fishing village. Only with the distillery’s success did it grow into a bigger town. It is fair to say that Oban would not be the town it is today without its whisky.

The thing that impressed us most was the fact that the whiskey we saw today will be sold when we are older, and what we can drink today was produced when our grandparents were still children. We also found out that the oak casks used for maturing the whiskey are old re-used bourbon casks. When they arrive at Oban Distillery, they have already been used twice before. 

After this amazing experience, we went back to the hostel and rested for a while. 

In the evening, we went to a pizzeria with a view of the sea and enjoyed dinner together. Once back at the hostel we all played poker together like real pros. who knows... maybe one day we will all come back and play at the casino in Oban....