Deanston 12 Year

Rating: 14/23 I forgot I had this sample both when I bought my Cadenhead's Deanston 19 and when I reviewed it, so I'm pulling it out now to find out how it is. N: Not a lot happening here. A touch of sweetness with tangerine and a touch of grain. Possibly some malt merging them. Maybe a hint of wax, but maybe I'm just expecting that based on my last Deasnton experience. Oh, there is a hint of dirty still here. This isn't a bad nose, but it's an incredibly boring one. P: The palate has a nice richness to it. It's around medium viscosity. There's a lot of burn to it, but it isn't overwhelming. There's a malty, nectar, tangerine, vanilla sweetness going on and also a bit of coconut. There's some loud spiciness coming out of the burn, with cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, and clove. There's a bit of dirty still, but not a lot. Despite the dirty still flavor and kind of bit of muddled character it adds, this doesn't have any sulphur or more than a hint of ethanol. It's overall a mostly nice, balanced palate, with some nice bold flavors from the slightly high proof. It's tasty, though not super interesting, and it does burn to an unpleasant degree. F: The malt remains and gets a bit more bitter as more grain comes in. Maybe a touch of wood. Some vanilla nectar, with faint hints of tangerine. The burn really lingers, though the particular spices don't come through so much anymore. - Conclusion - This doesn't have the same loudness, distinct flavors, waxiness, or tropical fruit that Cadenhead's Deanston 19 (1994) (15/23) has. But it also burns a lot less. It seems like Deanston just tends to burn, unfortunately. The Deanston 19 is 56.4% ABV with a lot more burn, but substantially better flavor as well. This has a more generic profile that I like but don't find that memorable. Loch Lomond 12 (16/23) is more challenging, but I think that its funkiness is tastier overall. It's also substantially less harsh. This has some more standard scotch flavors that come together well, but the Loch Lomond is more decadent and interesting. In no surprise at all, Monkey Shoulder (14/23) is much smoother with a lot more alcohol showing. It's really hard to compare these two. I'm inclined to give this the win. Monkey shoulder is on the lower end of a 14, so this could still well be a 14. It's a 14 or a 15, I think. Old Pulteney (14/23) is more muddled, but it still has some nice flavors coming out and decent complexity happening. The two are pretty close in quality. There's some really nice flavor here. It's not super interesting, but it's still quite good. It's held back by how much it burns, but it isn't held back tremendously like the Deanston 19 is. I'm torn between a high 14 and a low 15. I think that the deciding factor here is going to be the burn: because of that, I think it's a 14. And a final sip of Loch Lomond 12 gives me renewed confidence that even without the excessive burn this wouldn't be as good.

I purchased this after it was recommended by some reviewers I watch. 46.3%, 12 years old, Highland, Integrity Bottling Nose: Honey, Apricot, Grass, Lavender, Orange Peel, Ethanol Taste after 2ml water, 15 Minutes: Mouthfeel is moderately oily, somewhat heavy, and has little to no prominent sweetness. The taste starts with a hint of honey, lavender, and peaches. The mid-palate transitions into grass and burned orange peel. The whiskey has a long, white pepper finish with a hint of dry smoke. The finish is long and becomes slightly tannic near the end. There also seems to be a small amount of salt in the background. The addition of 3ml more of water brings out a very hearty, malty character to the mid-palate. This has been the first Highland single malt that has really wowed me by taking that standard honey profile and adding a large amount of complexity to it. I think the distillery keeping this integrity saves it. Give this whiskey some time in the glass. I've found that 30 minutes really opens it up and allows it to evolve over time in the glass. I don't enjoy this as much as something like Tailsker 10 or even some 50%+ ABV American bourbons, but it does hold its spot for an Ex-bourbon cask Highland. This should not be rated a 79. It's punching at above an 85 at minimum. I'll give them break since I've heard this offering has improved drastically since 2017 though.

I am somewhat guilty of neglecting Deanston so far, and I am not even sure why. To me, it has always been the least interesting distillery in the Distell portfolio. On the nose, apple pie, honeydew melon and lemongrass mingle with malty and cereal-rich notes. Nothing sticks out, but it is quite pleasant. Spicy and drying flavors surprise on the palate before it mellows with juicy fruits, peppery oak and a touch of cider. A few drops of water help. Orange zest, honey and lingering spices migrate into the savory and floral finish. I am certainly not disappointed. RATING: 3.5/5.0 stars ≙ 84 pts → ABOVE AVERAGE

Bon....on commence ça assez weird mais je goûte ça style crémeux avec des saveurs de gâteau aux carottes, de caramel mou et du miel. Je sais pas ce qui se passe avec mes papilles mais que voulez-vous ça goûte ça :p J'y trouve aussi des notes céréalières et de fruits comme la pomme. La finale est avec une pointe d'épice (gingembre, poivre, cannelle), ajoutant une dimension supplémentaire à la dégustation. En résumé, si vous appréciez un scotch des Highlands doux et fruité avec des notes de bourbon, le Old Particular, Deanston 12 ans pourrait être un excellent choix.

Nose: Fairly light, green apple, oak, malt, vanilla, toffee, grassy and a perfumey floral note Palate: Creamy, malty, oak, citrus, tropical fruits, quite sweet but some spiciness follows Finish: Medium, malty and spicy with some lingering tropical fruit Overall: Deanston 12 is a great whisky that I would happily come back to again and again, sure it doesn't have the most unique flavour profile but they got all the basics right and they've ended up with a very satisfying dram.

So funny. Been drinkin lots of del maguey recent and i like this and get the same notes as my original tasting it seems from reading the initial tasting note when i was drinkin tequila n mezcal earlier on that day. Nice viscosity. Like the faint orange and faint pear in the mid palate. Nice earthy notes in the finish. I don’t really ever need a whole bottle of this but might order it sometime in a bar. Def open to other expressions from this distillery that I haven’t tried yet.