Oban Whisky Goes to Extreme Lengths to Win over Its Sceptics

Oban unveils Being This Likeable Isn’t Easy, a new campaign that highlights the care, intention, and dedicated craft involved with a final product that is so effortlessly likeable.

The new creative campaign marks an intentional shift for Oban and pulls back the curtain on what makes this iconic whisky so universally liked. While Scotch can be intimidating, Oban’s balanced, smooth profile and longstanding craft stand apart, yielding a loveable liquid that dismantle stigmas around the category. Oban has always been a natural entry point into Scotch Whisky, especially for newcomers into the category. Now, the brand is leaning into that accessibility and inviting more people in through cocktails (like the Oban Paper Plane), storytelling, and new creative assets that welcome people in, much like the whisky itself.

At the centre of the Being This Likeable Isn’t Easy campaign is a video directed by Tom Speers of Smuggler, produced in partnership with Uncommon Creative Studio. Shot in Oban’s hometown in the Western Highlands of Scotland, the film follows the Oban Distillery manager on a heartfelt journey to win over a sceptical new whisky drinker named Stevie. Traversing through the muddied terrain of Scotland with the commitment convince Stevie of Oban’s merits, it only takes one sip! The video embodies quiet charm, humour, and visual storytelling, mirroring the whisky’s character: approachable, layered, and proudly rooted in its Highland origins.

“Oban has long been a whisky that’s easy to enjoy, but making something this welcoming takes serious craft,” said Jesse Damashek, senior vice president of Whiskey at Diageo. “This campaign shows that likeability and simplicity are not mutually exclusive in the creation of Oban; to make a whisky this inviting, it takes time, effort, and precision. We take our easy appeal very seriously and know that it's due to the craft we’ve prioritised for over two centuries, rooted in the passion and community of the town we call home.”