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    Oban Distillery

    4.6 (40 reviews)
    Closed 9:30 am - 5:00 pm

    Oban Distillery Photos

    Recommended Reviews - Oban Distillery

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    Christina R.

    I'm not going to lie, I don't like whisky. Will I order a cocktail that has it? Sure. But drink it straight up? NO WAY! However, this distillery has been around for hundreds of years and is one of those "you should do this here" things on a bucket list. Also, if I had to drag my mans to my fave (and def not his), a gin distillery, it's only fair I take him to what he likes, a whisky distillery. Walking in, we checked in with the host stand and were guided upstairs to the tour launch point. Everything is labelled for ease and there are a lot of chairs and couches to wait at if you're early and done looking at the gift shop. There is also a bar up here where you can do some tastings. Our guide, whose name I cannot remember because I'm one of those people (I think it was Jonathan, he was an Englishman), was amazing. Such a great personality to not only teach us but to entertain us as well. He had a good rapport with us and it felt so natural to talk with him. The tour itself is very interesting and informative. I'm shocked at how up close and personal you can get with some of the machinery here. This tour is super intimate and well worth more than what we paid for. Another highlight? Turns out I do like whisky. Oban Whisky. It's the only whisky I've ever tried that I can just drink straight and not be disgusted by. I was shocked when I took our first sip before we entered the working part of the distillery and I was shocked again when we had another taste of a different expression. This whisky tastes smooth and delicious and you can actually taste all of the flavor points they describe. Wild! My only wish was that I could have brought some home but they don't do mini bottles. Oh well, thank goodness Total Wine stocks it.

    Pete R.

    Europe 2023 - Oban, Scotland We made a stop in Oban to visit the Oban Distillery. We didn't have any reservations for the tour unfortunately, but we did visit the store and walked up to the bar and got a flight. Definitely worth checking out.

    Alex K.

    It's funny how you can visit a place so so many times but never end up doing certain things. I've been to Oban many of times as we have family there. And of course, everyone tends to know each other. I've talked about this place numerous of times mentioning how I've never been before. Clearly, it was time to make a visit. They do offer the tour but we just opted for a tasting ourselves. Once your inside, we were early as the tasting room wasn't open just yet. The main room, which is their retail room offers pretty much an array of whiskeys and souvenirs galore. The selection you have to choose from were amazing. We did have about 15 min to spare till the tasting room Opened up. The different selections of whiskey for each liking was astounding. There's a bottle for everyone's liking. I don't quite remember how much the tasting was but we just shared one. There was four pours, which was plenty for us. Different selections but we opted for the main Oban one. I'm not much of something that was too peaty. Out of the four, three made the cut for liking. One in particular. The staff was friendly and very knowledgeable about their stuff. During the tasting, a tour was going on as well. It's a must to do if you're ever in Oban.

    Entrance of Oban distillery
    Len S.

    The store was great. It was clean, and fully stocked. The workers were knowledgeable & helpful. If you go, I'd suggest to buy the bottles that are only sold at that distillery. I only got 1, and that was my mistake. I wish I booked a tour in advance, because they were sold out when we visited.

    We did the whisky tasting and had an amazing time. Mike was very personable and knowledgeable. We learned a ton about one of my favorite whiskies! Highly recommend.

    Both Lagavulin 16 and Oban 14 are cheaper at Costco in the U.S. than at Oban Distillery itself
    GT W.

    NOTE: Hours are seasonal so Yelp may not always be correct. Check the timetable posted on the front entrance. Tour times are limited, so our group was only able to go upstairs to do a Scotch tasting. There's a nice bar area with tables to sit at and relax with your tasting flight. Our service upstairs was excellent. I did the £20 flight of Oban's house Scotches only. Sounds pretty obvious, but they have several non-Oban Scotches to try because they are all part of Diageo's portfolio. Yes, Oban is owned by a multinational conglomerate called Diageo that owns Lagavulin, Johnnie Walker, Caol Ila, Talisker, Dalwhinnie, Cragganmore, and several more distilleries. After sampling all they had to offer, I thought the Scotch quality was decent. Everything we tried was a little hot and burning with their best one being the exclusive bottling you can only get at the distillery. In the gift shop below, that bottle was £100, putting in the same price segment as some much better single cask Scotch, so we passed. Also worth noting that regular Oban 14 here costs £48 ($64) vs $54 in the U.S. at Costco. So there's no reason to buy it. Also, Lagavulin 16, another Diageo product sold here, is £57.50 ($76) vs. $60 at Costco. Essentially, there was no incentive to get them.

    Chun P.

    If its a rainy day, it means most of the outdoor and boat tours are canceled, so get here early to get tour otherwise it'll sell out quick like it did on me. Luckily there is a tasting room where Bill the barmen is a scotch guru will education and guide you through the magical world of scotch. You can try a wide variety of nice scotches for only £3($4.60ish) for a 25ml wee dram tasting...that's really cheap! It would be 2-4 times more expensive anywhere else, not matter what country you're in. Like the other distilleries, they also sell a variety of bottles far much cheaper than the independent whisky shops.

    Mark A.

    Any trip to Scotland should always include a trip to the Oban Distillery. You can see the city was literally built around this great gem for whiskey lovers. While the tour was not as good as others I had during my trip, who cares when you really just want to get to the end and have your own taste. It's worth the trip, and the city has great flavor all its own as well.

    Alenei using a Whisky Thief to serve the tour participants directly from the cask!

    We had such a blast in this distillery. Glad we had booked in advance as there were many customers when we arrived disappointed they couldn't get on a tour. Some had travelled from all over the world to specifically go here and couldn't get on a tour! We were met by an intriguing Venezuelan girl who immediately set the tone for our visit. This very happy lady should of been a comedian instead of a chemical engineer and kept us entertained throughout our visit. Go early before your tour as they have a very cool bar upstairs behind the shop where you can try staves (flights) of Whisky (Scottish spelling). Diageo who own this distillery also own many other distilleries, so you get the benefit of trying many of their products in the bar. We had our first introduction into all the Whisky types from Alenei which was great as we sang along to some cool tunes while we learned the different tastes. When the tour started it was like an interactive lesson in Whisky making. We got to watch some of the operators during the tour while Alenei explained the process. The smells in this place are out of this world as you walk around a distillery that has being doing this since 1794! We got the pleasure of tasting the Whisky a few times in different areas. Sometimes a chemistry lesson, then a history lesson and a drinks experience tasting right from the cask using a large contraption called a "Whisky Thief" for stealing whisky from the cask for those on the tour. We were given a 10% discount on the product in the shop because we had been on the tour. There were a few collectors bottles we made the best of as you can only purchase them in the distillery. Absolutely the highlight of our time in Oban which I now find out is pronounced "Oh - Bin" after mispronouncing my favorite Whisky for years.

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    2 years ago

    Loved the tour! The guide was knowledgeable and personable and funny and may have just made me a whiskey drinker. Reserve in advance!

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    2 years ago

    If you're in the area, it really is a great tour. Fabulous staff, and very informative.

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    4 years ago

    Really great experience. We really enjoyed touring the distillery and learning about the process. Loved the tastings.

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    9 years ago

    Lovely building, nice staff, and you can skip the tour and go right to the tasting room upstairs if you want!

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    7 years ago

    Excellent tour! Jim was the best tour guide. Thoroughly entertaining and worth the stop!

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    Oban Distillery Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - Oban Distillery

    Great tour guide and fascinating tour on this small distillery that has not changed over the years.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    Whisky Shop - Storefront

    Whisky Shop

    3.7(3 reviews)
    31.2 mi
    ££

    I stopped in here to kill some time while walking around the beautiful town of Ft. William…read more The selection wasn't too interesting vs. what you might find in Edinburgh. Still, I did see a few special single cask bottles from Highland Park that were hard to find. But the prices were predictably very high (£300 for Highland Park 19 YO single cask from one producer and £500 for Highland Park 19 YO from another producer). Otherwise, you could get just about any easy to find Scotch at the normal retail price.

    Rather a smallish shop, but they got my business because they were one of only two shops (of any…read morekind) on High Street open before 9:30. Besides the usual suspects, I found some great small-scale specialty bottlings here. I purchased two 200ml bottles, one Arran and one Lochingar, but the prize was a 350ml Rosebank 1991 from the Signatory Vintage collection. Apparently some guy founded this company to buy up the existing stocks of distilleries which had gone out of business (whiskies which had been laid down but were not yet ready for bottling at the time of the business's dissolution). They then bottled the product in their own Signatory Vintage packaging and put them on the market. So when you buy one, you are getting a piece of the past, because once these whiskies are all consumed, there will be none left of them in the world. To me, that's really cool (and rather wistfully sad too). So of all the scotches (at least a dozen of various sizes) that I brought back to the U.S., this Rosebank is my most treasured. In fact, after a year and a half, I still haven't opened it. It deserves a truly special occasion. Oh, and I couldn't pass up a 3ml bottle of Dalmore which they had labelled "World's Smallest Bottle of Whisky." I wanted to make a Christmas tree ornament out of it, but I never got around to it.

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    Whisky Shop
    Whisky Shop
    Whisky Shop

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    Loch Fyne Whiskies

    Loch Fyne Whiskies

    4.8(8 reviews)
    19.7 mi
    ££££

    Located on Main Street, Inveraray Scotland, Loch Fyne Whiskies is a small establishment that…read moreproduces their own blended whiskies, well known malts and rare bottlings. The interior features ceiling to floor shelves of assorted whiskies. It is quite a sight to behold. Their living casks make their whiskies intriguing, as well as, a special treat for whisky lovers. if you care to share whisky stories this is the place to indulge yourself. The Hamish inspires your gift of gab and your whisky passions. Even your wee questions will be answered. If you are in Inveraray and have a slight fondness for the spirits Loch Fyne Whiskies will reward your interest. Enjoy your samples till you find the right dram. Did you know that whiskies have definitive cheese pairing? I can not say that I ever did until they were pointed out to me by Loch Fyne associates. This visit was before the Covid-19 pandemic.

    I popped in to this wee Aladdin's Cave of whisky a few weeks back while on a holiday day trip to…read moreInveraray. It sits on the main street just across from the 'jail'. Inveraray main street can feel like being bludgeoned by tourists (hey, I guess I'm glad they rate Scotland enough to come) so it's nice to be able to jump in somewhere for a bit of relative calm. Loch Fyne Whiskies provides this calm. The shop staff will be more than happy to chat away about whisky or even better, pour you a wee taster. I couldn't help but buy a bottle of the local blend, which by the way, is bloody fantastic; very smooth, down very easily (I finished the bottle within a week!). It has a fantastic selection though of single malts at very reasonable prices so if you're ever up that way, I recommend stopping in.

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    Loch Fyne Whiskies - Main Street, Inveraray, Scotland

    Main Street, Inveraray, Scotland

    Loch Fyne Whiskies
    Loch Fyne Whiskies - Harbor

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    Harbor

    The Good Spirits Co. Wine & Beer

    The Good Spirits Co. Wine & Beer

    4.8(5 reviews)
    60.2 miCity Centre
    ££

    I'd been meaning to visit since this place opened and finally made it on Sunday. It's by the Good…read moreSpirits Co folk (obviously) and specialises in beer and wine (again, obviously). I'm already a massive fan of what Good Spirits do at their original location so it's great to see them expanding. This shop is quite small but they've managed to fit in a huge range of interesting beers and wines. I wasn't after anything particular so just did a bit of a random swoop of the store and grabbed 3 beers and a cider which came to about £10 which is totally reasonable. I'll definitely be back next time I'm in the city centre looking for some good beers as I can't think of any other great beer shop like this in town. Win.

    The only thing I could ask of this business is that it stay open just a little later. Everything…read moreelse is exactly what I would hope for but I am disorganised and lazy and I've arrived at it's doors ten minutes too late too many times. I've been successful in arriving on time on two occasions. For the first I needed a bottle of wine. I like wine, but I don't really know much about it and my usual approach is to buy whatever's cheap-ish or on offer at the supermarket. On this occasion I decided to splash out and picked up a bottle of red for £13. Shock horror - I could have had three bottles for that price in Lidl! It turned out to be a mistake, not because the wine was unpleasant, quite the opposite. It turns out that expensive wine can be really, really good. So now I know I like expensive wine... which could be problematic. On the second occasion I needed beer. I chose three different bottles, based mostly on the fact that I liked the labels. The gentleman running the cash register grinned knowingly at me and informed me that I'd chosen three of his favourite beers. Good to know and, as it turns out, he and I have very similar tastes. He was also kind enough to help my partner choose a couple based on other beers my partner likes. Apparently they were also pretty great. There are a few good beer and wine shops in Glasgow now, but the city centre did need one quite badly and Good Spirits Wine & Beer has solved that problem perfectly.

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    The Good Spirits Co. Wine & Beer - Sunday beer / cider selection

    Sunday beer / cider selection

    The Good Spirits Co. Wine & Beer
    The Good Spirits Co. Wine & Beer - Now open!

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    Now open!

    Oban Distillery - beer_and_wine - Updated May 2026

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