Deanston 18 Year

“Bunnahabhain & Friends” tasting at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 15 June 2022. Whisky #1 Nose: Fragrant malt and cereal, vanilla, light honey. After adding a few drops of water and allowing it to develop in the glass I noticed light aromas of rose-hip and lemongrass tea, chocolate, candyfloss and bubblegum. Adding just a couple of drops of water initially kills the nose stone dead, but it eventually reasserts itself in a slightly sweeter form. Palate: Sweet arrival with gristy cereal and white grapes. The cereal notes expand into grassy herbal flavours, lemon drops and a strong, spicy ginger hit. The palate turns to a dry profile in the later development with a stronger herbal quality emerging. The texture is good, but a little thin and austere. Finish: Medium/short. The cereal persists into the aftertaste which becomes hot and a fraction sour. A very crisp, clean presentation highlighting grain and bourbon casks. Both the nose and palate focus on grassy cereal aromas. The finish is a little short and the overall profile lacks complexity. It’s a good whisky, but it does not taste 18 years old. I first had this as a sample a couple of years ago, and then again last year at a virtual on-line tasting. This third tasting last night was substantially the same, although I thought the honeyed notes had I detected in the earlier batches were lacking. It has drifted in a more citrus direction over time. A good whisky – if it was a 12 year old and sold at half the price I would be highly impressed, but as an 18 year old it does not convince me. I’ve seen this priced from $175-200 but after 3 tastings I’m still not interested in buying a bottle, even at the lowest price. I’m dropping my rating just a little this time. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars) ------------------------------------------------------- [Review from April 29, 2020] Nose: Spiced honey with vast quantities of malt extract, grassy cereal notes, orchard fruits and a hint of vanilla. Spiky at first but gaining sweetness as it opens. Adding a tiny drop of water expands the honey considerably. Palate: A malty, leathery and oily arrival that is lightened by floral honey notes and simultaneously lit up by cheeky ginger spice. Cereal flavours thunder forth in the development - bread, madeira cake, fruit muffins, buttered crumpets with orange marmalade and a dusting of nutmeg. There are some very agreeable mild chocolate and nutty tones as well. Finish: Medium. Sweet cereal flavours that trail into pleasantly dry tannic notes followed by a malty aftertaste. Deanston is a distillery that didn't give me a good initial impression, but as I'm tasting more of their expressions I'm starting to warm to them. My first taste was a post-tour flight at the distillery a few years ago and maybe it just wasn't the right moment. The core range left me with the feeling that they have a hard, sharp distillate that is not being matured as well as it might. Perhaps it's just the greater age of this particular expression, and/or maybe a better quality of casks, but I'm definitely on board with this crisp and excellently clean malt-bomb. Some people have criticized the nose as being shy but for me it was the best part of the experience (however you need to give it some time). The palate is a hair's breadth lower in quality but a drop of water brings it up to scratch and unleashes considerable honeyed sweetness. It also adds some spice to the finish, which is a comfortable addition. I'd definitely say that this whisky is not merely improved by watering, it actively needs it to become really enjoyable and achieve balance. Deanston is not just geographically a highland whisky, it is absolutely of that broad style. This expression reminds me a little of Highland Park (particularly once it is watered) but that's the problem as well. It is a finely crafted piece of work for sure but over here this costs just about the same as Highland Park 18 and I for one would not buy it in preference. Tasted from a 30ml sampler. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars) [AUD$185.0 per Bottle in 2020]

Note - I'm doing the Really Good Whisky Company Advent Calendar. I've also decided to pour these whiskeys "blind" (or at least as blind as I can), then providing nose, palate, and finish notes. I'll then look at the label, proof, cask type, etc. before writing my other notes. I'll be providing some guesses around things like proof and cask type and then seeing how much I missed the mark. Slàinte Mhath! Nose: Classic malt character. Floral, citric. Some tea also intertwined. Honey and toasted grain. Subtle herbal qualities. Is this a Highland? Almost getting lemon-lime soda vibes. Not getting a strong new make funk here - at the top end of around 10-15 years maybe? Ex-bourbon casks? Maybe some virgin oak as well? Just catching a thread of sweet vanilla and super-ripe apricots. Not getting any grain whisky here so guessing single malt. Overall, bright character on the nose. Almost prickly. Around 50% ABV? Palate will help nail this down. Palate: Bitey - there's definitely new oak in here, or re-charred. Or maybe there's just good age on this. Lemon pepper. Herbal, honeyed. Dashes of vanilla, char, and cocoa powder. Black licorice and pineapple. Some tannic structure, but this is very bright and shiny overall without much foundational sweetness to hold everything else up. Feels a little unbalanced. Light mouthfeel. Finish: Ethanol, oak, and bite. Menthol, cocoa, and dusty leather. Lemon oils get spritzed over everything, followed by some bitterness. Finish ends with white pepper, mint, menthol, and oak. Long. Other notes: I kept questioning if I was getting barrel bite or high abv and I'm glad I was leaning into the oak angle. For being so aged, however, I'm surprised by how "young" this presents. Not necessarily in a bad way, just with a lot more brightness and fight than I would've expected. I was off on ABV (though not by much!), under on age (too much of a range), and I'm not giving myself the cask type either. I did get region and mash. Not bad for tonight - especially since I'm feeling a little under the weather! This one is... interesting. It's goiod - the lack of balance isn't a bad thing in this case. This just doesn't fit within my normal profile. Still a fun one to explore, especially given how that 18 years presents here. Not bad. Cheers!

Deanston 18yr old (Bourbon Cask Finish), 46.3%, Natural Color, Non Chill Filtered.   Deanston is a brand I have been familiar with for about 9 years now. It started while pre-gaming for a concert one night in Philly while visiting one of my good friends.  I stopped on the way and picked up a bottle of Ardbeg oogie and wanted a cheap non peated whisky for the pre-game.  I saw something called “Deanston Virgin Oak” and it was around $25.  I picked it up and read the bottle (non chill filtered, natural color, 46.3% abv) and thought “A craft presentation at $25?”  I’ll take it. And that night started my Deanston journey. I won’t be reviewing the Virgin Oak anytime soon as it’s quite young and spicy but I do remember it being worth the small price tag at the time. Anyway – on to the Deanston 18. Smelling this one is nice – vanilla, green apple, pear, fresh fruits, barley sugar Taste is good -   vanilla, clove, pepper, green apple, honey Finish is decent with the bitter/green apple and spice carrying it out. The Deanston 18 is really nice.  It’s not cheap but I’m not sure that you can find any 18yr old craft whisky at a fair price anymore.  Whatever price you find it at, you are getting a craft single malt with no branding at all which is “Exactly as it should be”.   Overall Grade:  A

Honestly presented at 46.3% ABV, non-chill-filtered, with no coloring added. Color is gold, and the viscosity is medium to high. Nose is delicate, almost shy, with hints of pepper, vanilla, and barley. The arrival is sharp, rich, almost a bit too concentrated. More pepper, citrus, chocolate, and raisins on the palate, and the finish is a bit bitter and drying, probably the consequence of decent ABV. A half teaspoon of water brings this to life. It is now rich with fruit (banana and orange perhaps, along with raisins), chocolate, and nuts. The finish is still bitter, although now with more honey and citrus notes. Some more water, but the character remains the same. The finish gains faint smokiness I remember liking in the 12-year-old. Overall, this is a solid, complex, and honestly presented dram, but in my opinion it underdelivers compared with its 12-year-old cousin. When compared side by side, I actually pick the 12-year-old instead of the 18. There’s more going on, it’s more interesting, and the flavor profile is more complex despite younger age. The 18-year needs more water and time to show its character, but even then I still prefer the 12. Would I buy this again for $125 compared with the $53 for the 12-year-old? At more than 2-fold price difference, I doubt it.

My first Deanston. Very nice things i have heard of you. Are those things true? Lets find out. I got to say that this one was one of those malts i have ignored for a long time because it just didn't made any clicks on my head. But recently whisky reviewers that i respect have been talking about this distillery like is the new Glendronach or something. So, i said to myself, if this is truly worth it, start medium big, so i went for the 18yo expression. The result was a very interesting and fine dram that IS NOT THE NEW GLENDRONACH. Bottled at 46.3%abv. Burnished gold color. On the nose: Vanilla very strong, Dry grass, Hay and Banana. A little simple here. On the palate, it is very interesting. Straight spice bomb, not in the aftertaste but in the first touch with your tongue. American oak spice, Burnt hay. Super sweet an enjoyable. Aftertaste stays into that profile of hay/grass/spice. Very pleasant actually. Wasabi, chilli. Overall this dram feels dry and grassy. A very good dram that might fit some people, for me it was ok. 85 over 100.

AGE comes through well. OLD dusty wood, dry bark, oak nuts, chestnuts. Fresh red and yellow APPLES, juicy, clean, like in a young GLENGOYNE. Nectarines, dried pineapple. Raspberries. Tropical - mango, papaya. Coconut water. Slight banana note. Freshly pressed orange juice, blood oranges, orange peels, sweet tangerines. Lime juice and lime peels. Wild strawberries. Candied morello cherries. Black currants. Brambles (Blackberries). Soft marzipan in the back of it. Vanilla pod. With aeration, STAR ANISE. Very soft refreshing minerality. Earthy. Palate is sweet, fruity, and with a mild mature bitterness. Cardamon. Cinnamon. Slightly drying. Cocoa powder as it goes down. Fruitier than the 1''2, softer, and somewhat drier. Sweet, but does not have the caramel you find on the 1''2 ( vanilla, however, definitely ). The 1''8 furthermore lacks the certain barnyard funk I get in the 1''2. Short finish - Otherwise, this is ~ ~ Very solid.