The Deveron 18 Year

The Deveron 12 was, quite frankly, aggressively mediocre. A tremendously disappointing first experience with a distillery. I had already purchased this before I reviewed that one; not I will condemn a distillery for all eternity one middling effort anyway. Regardless, I’m hoping the elder sibling is a vastly superior product. Nose: Heavy floral influence. Apple, pear, and apricot. Almond and walnut. Vanilla, toffee, and butterscotch. Orange citrus. Light plum. Palate: Apple, pear, apricot, and orange citrus. Caramel, vanilla, toffee, and butterscotch. Golden raisin and white grape. Some plum in there. A little bit of honey sweetness. Floral notes as well. Finish: Almond and walnut. Caramel, toffee, vanilla, and butterscotch. Sugar cookie. Orange citrus. Apple, apricot, golden raisin. A touch of oak. Moderate-short. This undoubtedly a better effort from The Deveron. The additional time in the barrel was better able to reflect the distillery’s profile. A classic, somewhat generic Highland profile to be certain, but also a remarkably clean and refined expression as well. The nose and the palate improve with time. Unfortunately, the finish is not afforded such grace. 40% ABV simply is not enough. Especially when you’re shelling out money—as comes with the territory for an 18+ year old Scotch. At $150, I can’t quite say this is worth the price of entry. I’m glad I grabbed it as a collector, but relegating this to 40% ABV is a statement by Bacardi that, even at the “luxury whisky” price point, this distillery exists to be a component of the Dewars operation and can’t have its own identity until there are major changes. Regardless, this is a substantial improvement over the 12 year. 3.5/5.

The nose is quite complex with soft and subtle notes of chocolate, and added notes of pineapple and oak. The palate is enjoyable with black tea and spices on the tongue. The finish is a little bitter although balanced with hints of honey and brewed coffee that have some longevity. I like it, but that's about it. It's a whisky that is generic in a way that makes it ultimately forgettable.

Maybe I’m missing something but I found this to be kind of bland. Yes it’s a little fruity and a creamy finish but other than that I found it to be unremarkable. I was tasting this with other big bold single malts at the time, but still, this one failed to hold its own. Disappointed in this $100+ 18 year old.

18 yo looks good but dilluted to 40% ,I prefer older must be stronger. Nose: classic sherry ,sweet, floral, orange. Palate: nothing surprising, sweet with sherry notes, not really complex, finish medium to short.

Very fruity, apple cider on the nose and at the finish. Slight toffee or honey. Surprisingly refreshing. Would be best during hot summer night at the camping site after a whole day of fly fishing

Caramel and slight citrus on the nose. Pears, apricot, honey and hint of smoke on the palate. The finish is dry, short and unremarkable.