Oban Distillery sits in the middle of the town at the foot of the hill below McCaig's Tower, hemmed in by the surrounding buildings. It has operated on this site since 1794 — one of the oldest continuously functioning distilleries in Scotland — and produces what is classified as a Western Highland single malt: lightly peated, maritime, slightly sweet, and distinctly of this coast.
The guided tour is one of the better distillery experiences in Scotland — informative rather than perfunctory, and the small scale of the operation makes the process easy to follow. The tour ends with a tasting of the main 14-year expression and often one or two additional bottlings. Book in advance in summer; walk-ins are often possible in spring and autumn. The visitor centre is open even without a distillery tour for those who just want to buy a bottle.