tasting 5 Deanstons

A small change I will try is uploading some photos of the whiskies I'm about to try in the sessions to come. I know my blog probably is one of the least visually entertaining ones out there, so this might help a bit. As always, my good old trustworthy whisky-cow is in on the picture as well as a signed r-rated bodyprint by Annie Sprinkle. Deanston is not known by many by more than a few bottlings, myself included, very rare do I get the opportunity to try 5 at once.



Deanston NAS 40% OB

The square bottle, probably from the 80's. Golden color. It smells burnt, gorgonzola cheese, leather, dry, oaky, not bad. Some soapy notes appears as well, household soap. The taste is sweet and light, bubble gum, oak, camphor, grassy. The finish is short-lived and grassy. Perhaps Deanston is a distillery that has never put much effort into single malts, and therefore all their good casks have gone to blenders? I hope not.

No off-notes, just remarkably mundane: 3


Deanston 12yo 40% OB

I think this is a newer bottle, perhaps the last one before the current 46.3%abv OB. It must be a pretty recent bottling because they have written, or suggested as I'd call it, some tasting notes on the label. The color is golden. It smells honey, pepper, cardboard and bourbon. Quite some bourbon notes here I think, very smooth, syrup, almonds. The taste is fruity, fruit drops, sweet licorice, again very light and far from complex. Some mascarpone and gingerbread, finishing with grassy notes.

Again very mundane, because of the low strength? Let's find out: 3


Deanston 12yo 46.3% OB

Upping to 46.3% in 2007/2008 I think, alongside Bunnahabhain and Tobermory. I don't know wether it has paid off or not. The color is light golden. It smells malty, peppery, minty, hay, frying oil. The taste is sweet, red apples, honey, cinnamon, musty, ketchup, olive oil, hickory sauce. The finish is sweet, but gone in the flashes of flashes as they say. But the palate was a huge improvement from former bottlings which means to me, the new %abv. has paid off.

More fruity this time around: 4.5


Deanston 21yo 53.5% Cadenhead's

At this strength and age it's a more fair reasonable expectation to get a glimpse of what this spirit stands for. Some cask sediments in this one. The color is light bronze. It smells initially very spirity, sour, lemon juice, lemon juice and tea. Not many shades in this one, but the lemon juice is as if I close my eyes and smell, I think of only that. The taste is rich, camphor, caramel, ginger, dark roast coffee, lime juice, fantastic whisky. Drying, white wine, rhubarb, mustard. The finish is oof cinnamon, camphor and oregano, longlasting.

An amazing Deanston, my first one I think: 8


Deanston 24yo 1967-1991 55.4% btl.56/120 Bottles for The Nest, Offie of the year 1991-1991.

It seems this whisky retailer is out of business, but much happens in 20 years. The color is light bronze, close to the Cadenhead's. It smells strong, ground coffee and bitter herbs. I can't get this sense of some bitters out of my mind, even bitters like Underberger and Gammel Dansk would come to mind before whisky if nosed blind. The taste is cinnamon, honey, creamy cheese, bean sprouts, onion stew, cheddar, oily. This whisky smells bitter, but gives a sense of fatty indulgence.

Another great Deanston: 7



Next tasting: Benromach Distillery