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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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June 23, 2023 |
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A couple of indie Deanston
We try to taste Deanston as often as possible, but no smart official cask-driven ones today, rather some new indies indeed (pff…) |
Honeysuckle at WF HQ (I know you know what honeysuckle is). |
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Deanston 26 yo 1996/2023 (49.7%, Limited, bourbon hogshead, cask #1521) 
This is a new line, filled in rather lovely art-déco bottles. It should be Deanston totally al natural, a style that doesn't quite seem to be in favour at the owners these days, inless I'm wrong once more. Colour: white wine. Nose: it seems that we're rather nosing riesling, at least for a while. Fresh white grapes, chalk and limestone, honeysuckle, grapefruit, tiny touch of petrol, even tinier hints of fennel and dill… I find this extremely intriguing and, well, appealing. In a way, you may get closer to great wine when not using wine casks. Whisky making can be very counterintuitive. Mouth: instant love for this peppery, then fattish and buttery (in a good way), then very fino-y malt whisky. Excellent zing, with lemons, chalk and seawater plus a touch of mustard. I know I'm often quoting manzanilla somewhat blindly, but this superb high-precision old Deanston is close. Say manzanilla and riesling, 50/50. Finish: perfect tight signature, with some mustard indeed, lemon, some saltiness, and then liquorice root, aniseed and fennel in the aftertaste. Comments: faultless pure and clean and yet characterful Deanston, right up my alley. Perfect age, this baby's clearly toying with the 90-limit.
SGP:452 - 89 points. |
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Deanston 11 yo 2011/2023 (59.3%, Best Dram, 1st fill PX barrel, cask #800036, 215 bottles) 
Colour: dark gold. Nose: hotter, but that's the strength. Some sour fruits and spices, but that should be the PX. Some leather and pipe tobacco too, rather a lot of nutmeg, cracked pepper, umami sauce… With water: kind of makes a U-turn, moving towards grist, porridge, beer, mashed potatoes (I often mention Joël Robuchon's recipe, 50% potatoes and 50% butter – und Muskatnuss, Herr Müller!)… Mouth (neat): rather massive, very spicy, with really a lot of green peppercorns, plus leaves. With water: perhaps with a little Ben-Nevis-dirtiness, but that may be the PX. I'm not sure it's very partial to water. Rather a lot of pepper and nutmeg indeed. Finish: long, spicy. Some very dry herbal cordial and more green peppercorns. Bitter oranges in the aftertaste. Comments: very lovely, just a tad tough, perhaps.
SGP:371 - 84 points. |
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