One of my best ever whisky experiences was with the Deanston 18. I was travelling in Scotland, staying by Loch Morar, Scotland’s deepest lake. I had two bottles of whisky with me for the trip - a small bottle of Clynelish 14, and an even smaller 5cl sample from my first ever bottle of Deanston 18.

I was sitting in a warm room, looking out onto the lake being battered by a deluge of rain coming in from the Atlantic. It felt like an appropriate moment to pour a dram of the Deanston. Mind blown. Something about the singular, honest character of that whisky, at that place and that time just resonated with me. It has never tasted as good since, but I’m happy to get close.

The headline is: if you enjoy a classic malty highland whisky, the Deanston 18 is amazing value at below 60 GBP. Buy some, and then buy some more.

Tasting notes:

This one shows it’s age in the initial woodiness - if you don’t let it breathe for at least 20 minutes, you’ll have a bad time. While the 18 retains Deanston’s malty character, it is a completely different beast from the 12. The 12 is open, a bit spiky, with a variety of easily identifiable notes flying about. In the 18 everything has melded into a dense, cohesive whole. Many may prefer the 12, but the 18 going for a completely different experience worth seeking out for its own sake.

A very candied nose. Caramel, gingerbread, dry earthy wood (with slight tinges of green, reminding me of bark and moss - dry forest notes). Rich, spiced honey, pretty hints of floral rosewater, honeyed oat biscuits. All of these delicious notes balance the earthy wood in a brilliant way, keeping the overall experience light and enjoyable. Some dry ginger and soft citrus (orange and lemon peels).

In the mouth, the Deanston is lighter than expected from the notes, light to medium bodied. Incredibly malty in the arrival, it’s like drinking oat biscuits, so good! A surge of honeyed fruit is followed by a balanced build-up of spice. Finish, is mostly woody notes.

Before that I tried only 12 and Virgin Oak, the latter by the way is very cool. Here, 18 years old! The aroma is very good, classic bourbon extract, the aroma goes in the fruity-herbal direction. As for me, the reference fragrance for this type of exposure. The taste is good, light, field herbs and wax, very drinkable, light bitterness.
In conclusion, we have a beautiful classic malt, which lacks nothing, with a good degree and endurance. I'm more of a fan of double helmets and endurance, but if you take a purely ex-bourbon helmets, then everything went well.

BLIND PROVEN

Brief : Firm and rich, but not with a variety of flavours, but in development

very fragrant, fresh and aromatic, yet keeps a very understandable profile
Aroma:
Apple juice without sugar - base
Cinnamon, basilico, a drop of lemon juice, lily, almost unnoticable cloudy backstage, after a taste peach comes in, mint candies

Taste:
Arrival : fresh and clean
lemonade with apples in it, no sugar added

Development:
1st stage : moderate spices come up, cinnamon, peach, apple and lemon sour juice is crawling in
2nd stage : ends with an apple-juice puree and a speaking sour note

Good Deanston.
I like bottlings of the old design better. The alcohol is better integrated there.
Aromatically very malty and honey-sweet.

Full and vibrant. Bourbon fans rejoice, this is the malt for you! Peanuts, nut oils, vanilla, caramel, some mild smoked chilli peppers, lemon skins, spritz of oranges, white pepper, and a hint of green apples. Typically, for these basic flavours I'd only score up to an 86 if done well, but this one's so vibrant and flavourful, it gets a +1. Well done, Deanston!

This was tasted as part of the Master of Malt Instagram tasting. I found this more citrussy than the 2018 batch which I preferred. Still remains excellent value though.