I was eager to try this since it is the only Lowland distillery available in NC, and now that I'm about to finish the bottle I can say this was disappointing. At $40 this is not worth an initial buy before you try it first. Unfortunately the only other bottle I can get is the Three Wood at $70. I imagine that is better. The American Oak has a subtle noise of muted oil and vanilla wood with an oily taste that immediately disappears. In fact, everything on the taste kind of disappears instantly. I don't get any real bourbon characteristics, and hardly any of the nose that is suggested by the expert reviewer. Maybe my novice self can't pick out a lot of the subtleties, but I do know I've had Scotch at this price that is much better.