Pure Scot Virgin Oak 43

Ok. Not worth getting again

Cheap, buttery blended scotch whisky with a hint of BBQ smoke, not nearly enough to save it.

"Pure Scot" is Bladnoch's owners brand of blended whiskies. With beautiful, heavy bottles, they are trying to compete with some dinosaurs of the Blended Scotch Market. "Virgin oak 43" is one of their first expressions, the other two that i know are "signature blend" which i already reviewed and "Midnight Peat" which seems interesting. Lets get into business. Bottled at 43%abv, where it gets its name, this bottle has a burnished gold color. As soon as you uncork it you get this bourbonish aroma. On the nose, lots of american whiskey notes. Red chilli peppers, prunes and a bloody mary coctktail. Thick vanilla, Bbq sauce; hints of coconut. Feels a little young. Letting it breath will turn it to an exact cherry coca cola, not Dr. Pepper. Very grapy. It got a lot better. Thick very thick caramel. On the palate it is nice. Vanilla, new wood, wood polisher, prunes, chilli. Second sip was a toffee hard candy, spiciness has been tamed. Sour and bitter. A third sip was super sweet; all the sourness and bitternes appear if you hold it for 10 seconds. Toffee. Aftertaste is a little surprising and rewarding. Sawdust, hints of vanilla. Oaky, hints of tobacco. On the second sip it gave me something that i can only describe as "smoked almonds" (if such thing even exists), hints of milk chocolate. Overall, the virgin oak has left it a very bourbonish profile. If i were on a blind tasting event, i would have guessed this dram as an american whiskey. It is a solid, enjoyable dram, but intended to be drank by Johnnie Walker or Chivas drinkers. Not bad at all, i am actually going to work my way to the end of the bottle whenever i feel like having a normal dram, maybe in the beach. My score for it is 83 over 100.

Light bronze color, fruity, notes of walnut and burnt sugar. Red apple and ginger, slightly smoky finish.

Yet another blind tasting... Light golden, sparse quick legs. Nose: Butterscotch funk. Then the peat comes through with pleasant phenols but only faint barbecue smoke. There are lovely fruit and vanilla notes - pear, mango, plantain, dark vanilla extract. A hint of earthy wood spice. This is a symphony of aromas in wonderful harmony. Heavy mouthfeel with fried plantains and a bit of smoke from the oil burning in the pan. Oh this goes on and on... it sticks to every corner of the mouth. Bits of butterscotch, walnut and oak flicker in and out. The phenols come out with subsequent sips but are never outdone with rich, heavy sweet notes. There is nothing burnt here. No ash. No embers. All is in balance. The finish is sticky and sweet, just slightly dark and goes on for several minutes. There is no heat in the chest or nares. Everything about this dram is pleasant. Impression: This dram doesn’t have a single rough edge. It is elegant, proper and doesn’t rely on a fancy barrel finish or cloud of smoke. While the fruit that the nose offered up never landed as discrete flavors on the palate I don’t really miss the notes so much as I enjoy the chord. Empty glass is filled with wet tobacco, caramel and sea salt. Reveal: Pure Scott Virgin Oak Another generous sample from @Contemplativefox. And this is one I’ve never heard of. Being that it is a blend it has some unfair advantages and likely explains the balance. I should have been suspicious as the balance is almost a little too good. It reminds me of JW green label but with a butterscotch hard candy or two dissolved into the mix. The sweet, coating finish on this is really enjoyable (for a bourbon drinker). The virgin American oak really showcases the vanilla and caramel sugar qualities I love. Not ashamed to say this is now among my favorite blends. I looked up reviews of their base product and doesn’t seem to receive much love. I will say if you like bourbon that this virgin oak expression is one to consider! Considering price I would go a quarter point up. Considering that this is a blend - well is that an unfair advantage or does blending itself deserve some credit? I'm almost ashamed to rate this as highly as I do but on a personal, superficial level I truly enjoy it.