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Oban whisky

Oban is a small Diageo distillery in the West Highland port town of the same name, founded in 1794, and its whisky is legally Highland single malt. This page lists the Oban bottles we track with the best current UK price, covering Little Bay, the Distillers Edition and the annual Special Releases alongside the core 14 Year Old.

The 14 Year Old does not always have an offer from the retailers we check; when none is shown, the bottle page remains for when one appears. Diageo describes the style as sitting between mainland Highland and island character, which fits a coastal distillery with worm-tub condensers and an output of under a million litres of pure alcohol a year.

For the town and the history, see Oban on Whiskipedia. Prices are the best current in-stock offer from the UK retailers we check (how we compare prices).

8 bottles in stock, with the best current price from the UK retailers we check.

Oban distillery's dark stone frontage with white window surrounds and its name board, the chimney behind
Photo: Ayack, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, resized.

Known for

The flavour families that most often turn up for Oban.

A guide to the house style rather than a promise: individual releases can differ.

About the distillery

Region
Highland, Scotland
Founded
1794
Status
Producing
Capacity
925,000 litres of pure alcohol a year (stated capacity, not actual output); as recorded October 2026. Number 115 of 169 by stated capacity.
Stills
2 (1 wash, 1 spirit)
Owner
Owned by Diageo (since 1923); as recorded October 2026
Say it
OH-ban
Notable
Worm-tub condensers, Coastal site
Visitor tours
Open to visitors (tours from £22, avg £28; checked October 2026). See distillery tour guide.
Visitor rating
4.7 out of 5 (5171 reviews); TripAdvisor, October 2026
Travel Index
Rank #25 in Scotland (Bronze Tier), score 73.1/100. Milroy's Travel Index.

Read the full history on Whiskipedia

Secondary Market Barometer

3,287 lots sold · £521,329 hammer total

How Oban bottles have traded at Scotch Whisky Auctions and Whisky Auctioneer between January 2011 and October 2026. Hammer prices exclude buyer's premium, VAT and delivery.

Trading volume
#70of 182 distilleries by lots sold
Bids per lot
14.1Whisky Auctioneer only, against 19.9 across all distilleries
Median hammer price
£55average £159, pulled up by the top lots
Independent bottlings
3%of lots (93), the rest official bottlings (3,194)
Highest hammer prices
BottleSoldHammer
Oban 1963 The Costumes£4,400
Oban 1963 30 Year Old Cadenhead's2022£3,400
Oban 1980 SMWS 110.22023£2,325
Most often sold
BottleLotsMedian
Oban Bay Reserve Game893£45
Oban 14 Year Old612£40
Oban Distillers Edition299£65

Past auction results, not a valuation or a guide to future prices. Figures compiled 1 November 2026.

Questions

What is the cheapest Oban whisky?
The cheapest Oban whisky is Oban Little Bay (43% ABV, 70cl), at £66.95 from Master of Malt. That is £71.90 delivered to the UK mainland for one bottle. Next cheapest: Oban Distillers Edition Single Malt Scotch Whisky (£83.95) and Oban Distillers Edition 2021 (£84.00).
How much does Oban whisky cost?
Oban whisky costs from £66.95 to £199.95, with a median of £134.95 for a full-size bottle. The dearest is Oban Distillers Edition 2020.
What is the oldest Oban whisky you can buy?
Oban 12 Year Old Special Release 2025, at 12 years old, from £134.95.
Is Oban a Highland or an island whisky?
Highland. Oban sits on the mainland coast in the West Highlands, and under the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 its whisky can only be labelled Highland. Because the distillery is a coastal site facing the islands, its style is often described, including by owner Diageo, as a bridge between mainland Highland and island whiskies.
What is the difference between Oban 14 and Little Bay?
The 14 Year Old carries an age statement, so the youngest whisky in it is 14 years old, and it is bottled at 43% ABV. Little Bay has no age statement, which tells you only that the youngest whisky is at least three years old. Both are single malts from the same distillery in the town of Oban.
Why are Oban's Special Releases dearer than the core range?
They are annual one-off bottlings made in small numbers, and each edition is released once and not repeated. Small runs cost more per bottle to produce, and demand for them outlasts supply. Age adds cost too, through years of storage and evaporation; why old whisky is expensive explains that side of it.