That Boutique-y Whisky Company Deanston Batch 2 49.6%
Btl: 2014/ Tasted: Oct 2017
The nose is very mature and treacly with liquorice, malt, uber-sweet dried fruit and hints of violet scented incense. With time a touch of burnt coffee, citrus and salt emerges.
Soft and treacly palate with plenty of oxidised baked fruit and hints of liquorice and violets. Not as complex as the nose but still showing some good maturity.Long and crisper as the citrus appears. Lingering raisinated fruit and vanilla.
Douglas Laing Old Particular Deanston 2009 (9 year old) 48.4%
Refill Bourbon Barrel/ Code: OLD0751/ DL13199
Dist: Sep 2009 Btl: Apr 2019/ Tasted: June 2019
The nose opens with an obvious but expected industrial hard barley note but there is also some sweeter barley, creamy oak and even a touch of honey, which comes as a bit of a shock! Slightly herbal and botanical with time and OMG is that a touch of estery fruit I can detect!
The palate is like the nose, a pleasant combination of hard and sweet barley along with creamy oak. It does become a touch more industrial on the middle and the oak bitters a bit too, but I have to say that it’s pretty well balanced. Short and subtly spiced with a touch of white fruit and spirit.
Douglas Laing Old Particular Deanston 2009 (10 year old) 48.4%
Refill Bourbon Barrel/ Code: OLD0806/ DL13449
Dist: Sept 2009 Btl: Sept 2019/ Tasted: Nov 2019
Aromas of green fruit, barley, under ripe banana and slightly ascetic citrus. Suddenly the very creamy/ buttery/ toffee’d oak appears!
The palate opens with a mountain of creamy oak. Hints of boiled sweets and barley follow but the oak becomes really lactose sweet and dominating. A touch of citrus appears on the middle and develops enough to clear the oak and leaves a clean barley finish.
Douglas Laing Old Particular Deanston 1994 (20 year old) 51.5%
Refill Sherry Butt/ Code: OLD0134/ DL10426
Dist: Jun 1994 Btl: Aug 2014/ Tasted: Oct 2014
A subtle and oily nose. Quite robust, mature and herbal with a touch of vanilla oak. Hmm. Where is the hard as nails barley and cardbordy/ industrial character? Well, not here that for certain, this must be a first for Deanston! What there is instead is a pleasant crisp and granity character.
The palate is a little industrial and oily with some hard barley being softened by the honey. Full and gently spiced with some toffee’d oak. A pleasant sweetness on the middle leads into an austere, granity finish. By Deanston’s standards this is very drinkable.
Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Deanston 1996 (18 year old) 50%
Refill Sherry Butt/ Code: OMC2370/ HL10428
Dist: Apr 1996 Btl: Apr 2014/ Tasted: May 2014
A very typically industrial nose. Lightly cardboardy with hints of black pepper, burnt caramel, oak and a light rubbery notes. Classic Deanston!
The palate is oily with burnt caramel, pepper and toffee. Again industrial with hints of white liquorice, chicory and coffee/chocolate. Sharp citrus and lightly bitter finish with the burnt caramel notes lingering.
Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Deanston 1995 (21 year old) 50%
Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OMC2605/ HL12816
Dist: Aug 1995 Btl: Oct 2016/ Tasted: Dec 2016
OMG! Is this really Deanston? It has a surprisingly aromatic nose, which is something I thought I’d never say about this distillery! Barley’d and fruity with apricot, lime, gooseberry, dusty American oak and subtle spices. Extremely clean with a touch of vanilla.
The palate opens with some subtly toffee’d oak and pleasantly mature, dusty oak. A touch of apricot follows but the clean and mature oak is the focal point. Lightly coffee’d and spicy on the middle with a long, juicy, succulent, sweet spice finish and oaky after-taste. OMG! A bottling of Deanston that I’d happily sell, whatever next!
Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Deanston 1996 (23 year old) 50%
Bourbon/ Code: OMC2933/ Dist: Jan 1996 Btl: 2019/ Tasted: Dec 2019
Aromas of slightly hard barley, white fruit, honey, subtle vanilla and pepper. Pleasantly balanced and mature with late nettles, coffee and toasted bread. It has a fairly subtle maturity but also a good mineral freshness.
The palate opens with a touch of vanilla and sawdusty oak, followed by a good dollop of honey. Is this really Deanston? Mature white fruit, barley, coffee and hints of gooseberry, lime and lemon. Wonderfully deep with a citric and mineral finish. There is a very light industrial note in the finish, but overall I’m stunned!
Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Deanston 1996 (25 year old) 50%
Code: OMC3040/ Dist: Jan 1996 Btl: 2021?/ Tasted: June 2021
A crisp and citric nose with mature, sawdusty oak and honet. Plenty of Cognac-esque dried fruit and astringent herbs appear along with white liquorice, greengage and subtle industrial character.
The palate is also crisp and citric with Cognac-esque dried fruit and hints of chocolaty spice. The oak is a lot subtler but still shows a good maturity. Good depth, although a little hard but the oak offsets to a certain extent. Long, gooseberry, honey, vanilla and sweet spice finish. In conclusion. It goes to show that the best thing to do with Deanston is to leave it in the cask for 20 odd years.
Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Deanston 1995 (13 year old) 60.8%
Refill Sherry Butt – Cask 1952/ Dist: 1995 Btl: 2008/ Tasted: Nov 2008
A slightly astringent, spirity start with a touch of peat and orange blossom. There’s a big seam of coffee and a musty/grubby note but loads of malt and a touch of leafy sherry. The palate is oily and a touch dumb with orange-ish fruit, intense alcohol and a sherried leafiness in the background.
Water becalms the nose and emphasises the sherry cask. The palate becomes sugary-sweet, and I’m afraid that I find it all a bit charmless and unrefined in that Dufftown kind of way. I guess you either love or hate it.
Deanston 12 year old ‘Un-Chill Filtered’ 46.3%
Tasted: Nov 2010
The nose is as hard as nails with some floral acetone and hints of fruit and malt, but over time it becomes very farmyardy! The palate is hard and bitter. Industrial, alcoholic and lacking in malt, but not bitter oak. In fact it tastes like a cheap blend and is as rough as a badger’s doobry!
With water the nose is only slightly feinty but some hard honey and wood spice has now appeared. On the palate it has become sweeter with some cereal and honey, less industrial but the finish is eye wateringly bitter. One to be endured not enjoyed!
Deanston 12 year old ‘Un-Chill Filtered’ 46.3%
Re-Tasted: Aug 2012
A light, slightly fruity nose with just a suggestion of wet cardboard. Quite an alcohol prickle with hints of youthful cereal and coffee. With time the cardboard note becomes more evident.
The palate is full and malty but still quite industrial. There is some sweet, but grubby sherry notes along with a touch of dried fruit. Piquant alcohol gives way to cardboard and coffee. I think the nose has improved a little but the palate is still really hard going.
Deanston 12 year old ‘Un-Chill Filtered’ 46.3%
Re-Tasted: Dec 2014
The nose is hard and industrial with some murky spices, dried fruit and toffee.
Soft and carameled on the palate with toffee and more toffee. Hints of coconut and granulated sugar come through. Good length with a spicy, coconut finish, but still industrial though. In conclusion: Too heavy on the oak on the palate, which does however blanket the industrial character!
Deanston Virgin Oak 46.3%
Tasted: Dec 2014
The nose is slightly soapy apricot and dusty barley with honey, green fruit, citrus and oak. With time it becomes pleasantly herbal.
The palate is full and creamy with plenty of toffee. Lightly herbal with hints of barley. Freshens towards the middle as some stony/ grainy notes appear. Good Length with lingering oak, herbal and mineral notes.
Whisky According to Chris Whiskyman 