Deanston Virgin Oak is an interesting idea on paper. Take some young spirit, and age it in totally virgin oak - never yet held bourbon OR sherry, nor wine or anything else. Just new American oak. But how does it actually fare? No age statement, 46.3% ABV, presumably no chill filtering or coloring.
Nose: The nose is a bit sour ... specifically, sour citrus (lemon), barley, and some very very light smoke.
Mouthfeel: Medium.
Palate: Not as good as the nose, I'm afraid - I get lemon, and I get LOTS of oak tannins, as you would imagine, both come sweeping through on a wave of alcohol. But that's about it. With a little water, the lemon opens up to include lemon peel and candied lemon, but no amazing transformations take place. The oak doesn't dominate, but it's quite present.
Finish: Probably the best part - a nice bitter oak creeps along for quite a while, along with a dirty industrial smoke.
Verdict: This is a very simple dram, and it goes to show just how many flavors are imparted by the ex-bourbon and ex-sherry (and so on) natures of the average barrel/butt. This has very little happening, although I've give it some credit - for a very young whisky aged in virgin oak, this is quite clean and crisp, and I did quite like the finish with the industrial smoke sneaking through. A fascinating experiment, if not wholly successful.
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