Deanston Virgin Oak

Just picked this up for 44$ Canadian, 46.3% un-chill filtered, no colour added.....absolutely nothing to lose on this buy. This one will be my new “go-to” single malt! A flavour bomb that can easily compete with the big boys for a third of the price ;)

28th December 2019

A remarkable NAS Highland Single Malt. Classic malty, honey & heather profile, with a hint of baking spice and a long finish for a young scotch. Surprisingly, the new oak does not dominate the flavour profile. Competes well with the Tomatin 12 or the recent revision of the Classic Laddie...both of which are $10-15 CAD more unless the LCBO has a decent sale. Also, good on the distillery for bottling at 46% ABV!

3rd November 2019

I have drank this, this is probably one of the most flavorful scotchs I have had , it also has hints of vanilla in it. but MoM description is very accurate. It wasnt that expensive for a Scotch of this quality which was surprising. I would definitely recommend this.

1st October 2019

Caught this on sale, bought 4 bottles. WOW am I glad I did!!! Easy on the pallet with awesome finish! Worth twice the money when weighing bang for the buck.

18th September 2019

A VERY pleasant, easy drinking whisky with bags of character. It's sweet and smooth. The MoM notes are accurate - honey and toffee and spices - and I got American cream soda. Once this bottle's gone, I'll certainly buy another.

20th August 2019

I picked this up at my local store on sale for 16 dollars so I bought two. Wow this stuff is much better than I thought it would be. It is young but a fantastic value even at full price. Very light, NCF, and no E150 added which is sadly rare now a days. The higher proof really makes a huge difference as well. Much better than Glenlivet and Glenfiddich for less money. The tasting notes nail pretty much nail it other than I don’t get any smoke although I usually drink heavily Peated malts so that could be why.

4th April 2019

I have bought it while travelled in Scotland. As brought it to Israel, all my freinds and myself were amazed by the taste. I will buy more of this whiskey as soon as I travel again to Scotland or if it will be imported to Israel

28th January 2019

I'm befuddled by the overwhelmingly strong reviews on this one throughout the interwebz. I like this whisky enough due to the nice aroma and pleasant taste...but this is clearly a very young whisky with a downright harsh/sharp profile. Harshness rules with this one. This whisky makes me want to try some of Deanston's more mature offerings. I don't regret buying this bottle, however, this isn't close to a 4-5 star whisky. I wouldn't hesitate to throw ice on this one in the summer.

23rd January 2019

Just got to try this because it was inexpensive. Not bad at all Smokey hints of pepper a little citrus .might be harsh to those luxury scotch people but for the price I love it . Very nice smooth finish for half the price of my usual single malt .

26th December 2018

I had the pleasure of visiting this distillery and call their 18 my favorite whisky. I finally found the 18 at my local store and he was promoting the Virgin Oak for a very good price. I love this whisky too and it confirms what I believed at the distillery, which is that these guys make a very nice spirit straight from the still (I believe why so much of their output has been found in fine blends for years). They're now figuring out how to finish it themselves.

9th December 2018

Perfect whisky for starters. A bit sharp at the beginning the oakwood tone is in good balance. I will drink it with friends. They will enjoy it like me.
And environmental friendly produced.
Save the world whisky lovers!👍

11th November 2018

I just love it

16th September 2018

New to scotch, wife bought me fancy scotch glass for Christmas sooo. Started with pretty expensive scotch and worked my way down. Liked how the box described deanston virgin oak and love it...don’t need to try others and look forward to my bedtime drink most nights.

19th May 2018

Tasted like honey had been added after the distilling and reacted like glycerine in contact with ice. Not a great tasting experience.

29th April 2018

It's the style that I personally like, herby, fruity (not too sweet), fresh. The price makes it value for money. One of my top 10 whiskies.

29th March 2018

My family didn't care for it. It starts off good, but the finish is definitely smoky (as stated), as in rubbery-smoke tasting...synthetic.

31st December 2017

People who read reviews drink better scotch for less money, generally. The scotch is well described vis-a-vis nose, palate and finish...and the common denominator among the positive reviews was that, although it has a bit of a 'burn', it is pleasant, peppery and compliments all that comes during and afterwards. Great scotch.

31st December 2017

Nice taste. Smooth.

25th December 2017

A friend has offered me a Virgin Oak Whisky.
Honey and pepper is the first thing you encount. When you drink, powerful is the good word. After minute, taste is always present in your mouth.

20th November 2017

This is priced right. Any higher and I'd go to aborlour 12 or even auchentochan 12 (sorry if i messed up the spelling). It's a bit rough and young, but it has a higher intensity than some single malts priced higher. It's a higher percentage at 46abv, actually very respectable. In Canada there really isn't anything better at 50 dollars. Even black lable is 5- 6 dollars more and it's light in flavor by comparison. Has a great nose after a week in an opened bottle, and aside from a slightly off note which is reminiscent of some leathers used for purses it's really full bodied and has that classic Highland taste.. no mention of smoke but i seem to smell and taste it. Very good.

4th October 2017

And to the person who gave this a "Disappointing" review and recommended the ABV be cut to 40%, maybe you should switch to wine coolers. The whole point of the slightly higher alcohol content is to allow this whisky to be non- chill filtered and thus have a more robust and nuanced flavor profile. Athough usually not a NAS fan, products like this are changing my views of how good younger whisky can be.

27th May 2017

Outstanding value. Very well made scotch. The people who complain about this scotch not being "smooth" (a horrible descriptor that should be struck from any self-respecting whisky enthusiast's vocabulary) are the same folks that overpay for Johnnie Walker and Macallan. This is great scotch at a great price.

26th May 2017

I think this is a fantastic scotch at its price range. I'll give it 3.5 stars overall because it has very good taste and a hint of heat. But it's not a bad burn at all. I picked this up for $34 (when I buy my 'usual' scotches I usually grab one that I never heard of in the $30-40 range). This is defenetly one of the best that I've tried in that range. It's not as good as the 'Glens' or the mighty Macallen, but it's got great oaky flavor with notes of vanilla and is a pleasurable everyday scotch to say the least.

I'd 100% buy another bottle of this delicious scotch...and I probably will!

26th February 2017

If you're getting too much burn from this you need to stop pretending you're a whisky drinker!

6th November 2016

Great every day single malt.

18th March 2016

No frills here, a simple honest product. Well balanced for a young whisky. Bought it from a local Brooklyn store for $40 USD. Honeysuckle, citrus, honey, vanilla and hints of oak. Delicious everyday drinking Scotch!

21st February 2016

Having picked this up for about 25 dollars at the local liquor store, I figured I'd give it shot, given that it looked interesting (non-chill filtered, virgin oak).

Point-blank: there is the start of a good single-malt scotch in this NAS bottle, but it simply is not finished. The hints of what could be a great highland malt are all there, but so is the harsh reality of young, burn inducing alcohol. If I had to venture a guess, Deanston seems to be trying their hand at mixing a traditional Scotch malt with the more rapid maturation (and cask type) found with Bourbon producers. I would urge them to let this stuff age a lot longer as the liquid in my bottle was barely drinkable.

30th December 2015

I bought 4 bottles of Virgin Oak thinking very reasonably priced. Surprise, the BEST TASTING single malt I have tasted. I drink only single malts and tried several ver the years. Visited the distillery before 10 on a Sunday last May and didn't get a tasting. That tweaked my interest, thank goodness! You make fine whiskey.

18th December 2015

Being of Scottish descent, I look for quality at a reasonable price. This Whisky delivers both. It tastes, feels and has the aroma of a much older and expensive Whisky. Glad I found it. Good job lads.

20th November 2015

I was dissapointed with this. If you are going to produce a whisky as young as this it should be cut at 40%. At 46.3% it needed far more time 12/15 years to reach its potential in my opinion.I think it is expensive forwhat you get, as it is it should be abour £25 max.

13th October 2015

first sip provides a the palate with a hug from a giant, every sip after is a delight

12th September 2015

Yes I admit it I drink it all day long because it is good and it is affordable.

30th April 2015

Never heard of Deanston. For a young whisky it is very well balanced.

3rd April 2015

Delicious surprise, for the price you cannot beat the quality.

20th March 2015

Plutôt amoureux de la tourbe, du caractère terrien ou marin, j'ai adoré ce Deanston à la première lampée: un équilibre entre le citron, le miel, la vanille et le chêne; il est doux (bien que 46,3%) et a pourtant beaucoup de caractère.
Je suis allé chercher des informations sur le site de la distillerie: son histoire et ses valeurs témoignent d'un amour, d'un professionnalisme et d'une humanité qui se sentent dans leur whisky -bravo!
Je le recommande, je l'ai d'ailleurs trouvé à 30 euros seulement; toute leur gamme m'intéresse.

Being more a peat- or sea- or earth-flavoured whisky lover, I really loved this Deanston Virgin oak, at first sip: a balance between citrus, honey, vanilla and oak; it is smooth AND has a lot of character.
I have been on Deanston's website: their history and values show love, professionalism and humanity that you can feel in their whisky.
I'm going to buy more of it, and offer to those I love :-) !

19th March 2015

Cannot beat the price for a well balanced young whisky. Anybody know how long they age it for?

16th March 2015

Reminds me of some of Milroy's Soho special bottlings. Young with plenty of oak and spice and well balanced with zesty aromas and vanilla and toffee. Great value for adventurous connoisseurs, 5 stars all the way!

16th March 2015

Great price for a whisky that has tons of characters. Fun to do blind tasting with friends. My secret weapon ;-)

6th March 2015

The afterglow is the best part. Delicious

14th February 2015

Two things about this whisky grabbed my attention: "un-chill filtered" and "nothing added", ie: no E150 caramel coloring. Being priced at under $30 ($26 to be exact), this was a whisky I had to try, and I am glad I did.
It has a bit of a "young" taste, not as smooth as a more mature whisky, but still very good.
I purchased a case after realized I liked it, some to store away for later enjoyment, some to enjoy with friends at gatherings, etc. And as it's so affordable, it will be great for those friends who mix with cola.

7th February 2015

Oceans of flavor, and a pretty good price. Not at all smooth, and I know that matters to many, but I enjoyed it.

22nd January 2015

May be my imagination, or maybe it's the barley, but I detected a hint of haggis. A fine drink - with lots of character

18th January 2015

Well balanced, smooth, people from Deanston know what they're doing...

26th September 2014

I have come to a conclusion about myself: I like new oak. There I said it. I find new oak whisky to be very tasty. And like the more popular sherry or port casks, new oak can really make young whisky sparkle. I like this whisky, here are some notes...

Nose: liquorice, straw, fresh cut grass, chip truck fries with vinegar on them, roses, tomato soup.
Taste: sweet, lemon
Colour: light straw

28th August 2014

Just picked up a bottle for 28 US. Steal!

18th April 2014

Surprisingly rich for a No Age Statement whisky. I actually ran into the sales rep for its distributor while I was browsing in the store and his description matched my tastes pretty well, so I bought it. Salesman said it's about 9 years old at the time of bottling. There's a slight fruity aspect to the nose and a delightful flavor toffee on the palate. Add a drop of water to this 46% whisky to ignite all the flavors and enjoy!

18th February 2014

I'm telling you. Keep in mind, this is a no age statement and for it being bottled at 46.3%, non-chilled filtered and no caramel color added, that's pretty impressive. It's simple,but all the little that it has packs a wallop. It has all the goodies that we like in a good dram: vanilla, oak, spice, cream, baked goods, toffee. I really enjoyed this one. I will purchase this again!

4th February 2014

Not quite as smooth as the Deanston 12 but with many of the same positive characteristics. It's $15-20 cheaper than the 12 in my area, so we keep it around as a less expensive option.

12th December 2013