Given the centuries of history behind scotch whisky, the Deanston distillery is a relatively ‘new’ distillery, having first opened its doors in 1966. The site itself is actually inside an only cotton mill which has stood tall alongside the River Teith since 1785, and it is in fact powered by the river itself via its hydro-energy plant.
Despite having to close during the infamous whisky loch, it’s current run of whisky making under (what is now) the Distell Group started in 1990 and it’s 12 year old release has become their flagship release.
Deanston’s whiskies are all released at their natural colour and without chill-filtration to ensure that their natural flavours are all prevalent.
The 12yo has spent its whole time maturing in ex-bourbon barrels and is bottled at 46.3% ABV. Full-size bottles are currently available at around £43 GBP each.
Nose
A very oak forward start. Oak flavour, oak spice and a drying oak sensation. Sweet support with vanilla bean, toffee and butterscotch flavours. Some fruitiness arrives with a touch of apple and an orangey citrus.
Taste
A noticeably buttery/waxy/silky arrival with a sweet chocolate orange set of flavours kicking things off, with malt and oak quickly in tow. There’s some honeyed sweetness and a touch more fruit with some orange and almost a grapefruit puckering sensation. Then a spice cabinet of influences combine with cinnamon, stem ginger and clove spices bringing the heat.
Finish
A punchy rye bread flavour and fiery oak spice combo make for a fizzling finale.
Verdict
Well, this is a single malt displaying its key ingredients: malt and oak. The distillery’s marketing certainly seems proud of its waxy spirit and that texture is notable when drinking it, though it wasn’t the first thing I noticed… The oak flavours and spices at the front coupled with the 46% ABV make for quite a spiky and punchy experience.
The spirit’s fruity flavours and the bourbon barrel’s influences of sweet vanilla are present, but it is the oak flavours and spices that certainly lead the charge.
I know I’ve preached often enough on this blog that age isn’t everything, but the spikier profiles makes this taste like something a lot younger than the age statement would suggest. I appreciate that they’ve got to make their mark with a profile for their core releases but the oak-forward approach is not for me.
The careful deployment of water stemmed the oak attack and actually made for a sweeter experience with some tropical fruit notes appearing like pineapple and grapefruit.
I’ve found that, usually, a stronger malt can take a fair few sips or even glasses to get used to or take itself down, but it still hits hard for me. Maybe it’s the bottle or batch. I’ve had this bottle for 2 years and bought it from the distillery where I had a lovely time, but almost got swept up by the numerous cask finishes to appreciate the 12yo baseline that they’ve set for themselves.
The trip to the distillery was cool. Nice to visit a site that wasn’t your standard whitewashed building. Despite the slightly imposing 60s/70s frontage on the newer buildings, its position alongside the river was great to find, and I love that they have the facia of the building embossed in a shiny foil on the bottles and packaging. Being under Distell they also had samples of Bunnahabhain and Tobermory available too. I bought this full sized bottle of their flagship release and 5 different cask finish versions of the 12yo too. They’re certainly experimenting away and building on that bourbon base.
Ultimately, not a go-to for me, but with a drop of water to smooth the edges, it’s also the base for the start of a good night.
M
Dram disclosure: This is my own bottle. All notes are intended as an honest, fair, and independent review of the whisky, and not as a promotion. Please drink responsibly. Please drink wisely.
whisky unplugged 
Leave a comment