[October, 2016  Deanston -  a rather unknown distillery until it served as a featured place in the superb movie "Angel's Share" (the production scenes were filmed there).  The label states "built in 1785", but that was as a cotton mill - it was converted into a distillery as late as 1967.  As this botting was officially released in 1994 it contains most probably some of the very first spirit this distillery ever produced.  To be honest, I never had a real good Deanston dram so far - so I was very curious about this bottling.

It is not too bad (as Aussies would state) - an easy drinking dram with a nice nose and body but a rather unimpressive arrival and finish.  Given its age of 25 years one would probably expect more...  But if you really want to try a Deanston go for this one.  It is more than okayish (given its price) and much, much better than anything else I ever tasted from this distillery.

Nevertheless, it is not a single malt to go for at all.  But maybe the owners start to change things after the distillery became somewhat famous due to the movie.  The new visitor centre is very nice and promising - and the Virgin Oak release is at least somewhat surprising  (not too bad again).  As other distilleries enter into more and more quality problems (speeding up production processes to meet global demand usually hurts the quality of the final product - as can be seen at Laphroaig most prominently) there might be a slight chance for outsiders like Deanston if they go the opposite way.  We will see...  

Nose: fantastic with cocoa powder, wild honey, maple syrup, vanilla, caramel and a neat old oak cabinet. Very deep and full nose. Taste: mild but with decent volume, spicy honey, cocoa butter, overripe bright fruits, surprisingly malty, long finish with vanilla, woody sweetness and pleasant bitterness (mild coffee), less woody as the age suggests. Matured very nicely. Conclusion: Ingenious - so must taste old whisky

[August, 2005]  Together with friends I emptied a bottle that I bought for 51,50 Euro in February, 2005.

[October, 2016]  Together with friends I emptied another bottle that I bought for 72 Euro in April, 2007.

In my old rating system (ten scales that translate into WB points: 50 - 66 - 75 - 80 - 82,5 - 85 - 87,5 - 90 - 92,5 - 95) I scored it 87,5.  Please see detailed review below.

Smooth with distinct vanilla notes and something green and black tea-ish

"A very rare distillery-bottled Deanston 25yo, probably bottled in the

1990s. Until recently little was seen of Deanston, as most of its

output goes into the Scottish Leader blend."

TWE  (http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-11529.aspx)