A stop at Deanston has now become a staple of our annual road trip to Speyside. Their tastings at Warehouse 4 offer great value for money for something that not many distilleries provide - namely, a chance to try true single cask whisky extracted straight from the cask in the atmospheric surroundings of the dunnage-style … Continue reading Deanston distillery visit (May 2024)
Tag: Deanston
Deanston 2002 Pinot Noir Finish (50%, OB 2019)
I always find Deanston to be a distillery with a distinctive character (current Master Blender Brendan McCarron identifies it as waxiness, I normally find a lot of ginger biscuits and honey in most Deanstons) that nevertheless remains a 'chameleon malt' of sorts, able to take all sorts of different maturations and finishes. This one has … Continue reading Deanston 2002 Pinot Noir Finish (50%, OB 2019)
Deanston 13 (Distilled 2007, 65%, Signatory Cask Strength Collection 2020)
For a self-proclaimed Deanston fan, I haven't reviewed any spectacular examples on this blog so far. Time to change that. This Deanston was matured for 13 years in a first-fill sherry butt, and bottled at an eye-watering 65% ABV. I first tried it in December 2020 in a tasting by the Blind Tasting Consortium. It … Continue reading Deanston 13 (Distilled 2007, 65%, Signatory Cask Strength Collection 2020)
Deanston Kentucky Cask Matured (40%, OB 2021)
The Deanston Kentucky Cask was a recent addition to the Deanston range - I believe it came out in 2020, or mabe late 2019. Deanston already have a budget-friendly no age statement bottle in the much-loved Virgin Oak, but the Kentucky Cask is aimed at a different share of the market: issued at 40% ABV … Continue reading Deanston Kentucky Cask Matured (40%, OB 2021)
Speyside Road Trip: The Preamble (Glengoyne, Deanston, Tullibardine)
After two previous visits to Scotland that were part of tagging along to various friends' plans, my wife and I finally planned a Speyside trip that was exclusively whisky-related. It involved driving up from deepest mid-Hertfordshire to the town of Aberlour, with overnight stops in Moffat and Dundee along the way (the former to split … Continue reading Speyside Road Trip: The Preamble (Glengoyne, Deanston, Tullibardine)
Deanston 18 (46.3%, OB 2018)
This is the older-style bottle of the 18 year-old Deanston - the packaging may have had a slight face-lift but the whisky inside is the same. The label says 'bourbon cask finish', which is a bit vague (e.g. was it not in ex-bourbon casks for the main part of its maturation?). After checking with the … Continue reading Deanston 18 (46.3%, OB 2018)
Deanston 12 (46.3%, OB 2020)
A decade ago, not many whisky writers were paying much attention to Deanston, but this entry-level expression has been slowly but surely rising in people's estimation. Consider Serge's scores - he first tried the current iteration at 46.3% in 2009, giving it a score of 74 and saying 'maybe we should have waited for twenty … Continue reading Deanston 12 (46.3%, OB 2020)
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