Five Deanston on WF, OB vs IB


August 29, 2024

Five Deanston on WF, or OB vs. IB

We still love Deanston just as much, even though they now tend to ‘enhance’ everything using casks that are either very distinct in their newness or influenced by the various liquids, whether spirits or wines, that they previously contained, even if only for a short period. Perhaps we should now turn to independent bottlers to taste a Deanston closer to the distillate, as has become the case with many distilleries nowadays. I also propose the creation of a new association, the SWA2 (or Scotch Winesky Association).

Deanston ‘Heritage Sherry Cask Finish’ (40%, OB, 2018)

A slightly older release, one we've not encountered before. It’s NAS and 40%, so let’s get on with it. Colour: full gold. Nose: quite pleasant, fruity and malty, with a slight IPA-like note, some praline, treacle toffee, and slightly bruised apples. Yes, bruised apples, again. Pleasant enough, nothing flawed, and not too much on the pear or overly youthful with kirsch notes. Mouth: this is where things take a bit of a turn, with a certain bitterness from the wood, cherry stalk tea, some bitter walnuts, and those rather rustic apples. The structure is on the lighter side. Finish: rather short, still a touch bitter, herbal, and not the easiest. Walnut skin. Comments: it's decent enough, with a nose that was enjoyable, but the palate proved somewhat challenging for me. Perhaps better suited in a cocktail, like a Deanston Minimus?
SGP:361 - 75 points.

Deanston ‘Pioneer #1’ (46.3%, OB, Transformation Series, sherry and first-fill bourbon, +/-2024)

I believe this one's for Taiwan. Not entirely sure what's so ‘pioneering’ about it, but you know, names are essential, especially when you're dealing with NAS. Colour: gold. Nose: much fresher and, shall we say, more vibrant than the modest ‘Heritage’, with grapefruit and citron, lemongrass, some little Italian lemon biscuits (can’t quite remember the name), then Golden Delicious apples and fresh barley. Not very complex, but it’s honest and straightforward, which is always appreciated. Mouth: really taut, with citrus fruits and their peels, green walnut, herbal notes, then some wheat beer, tisanes, and green pepper. You can sense the fresh oak, but it stays well within the limits. Finish: fairly long, more herbal, with a distinctly Italian bitterness (amaro, bitters). Comments: the profile is actually quite similar to the ‘Heritage’, but the dials have been turned up a notch, and that seems to have worked.
SGP:361 - 81 points.

On to the indies…

Deanston 12 yo 2010/2023 (48.4%, Douglas Laing, Old Particular, refill hogshead, cask #DL17759, 313 bottles)

We’re rather fond of Douglas Laing bottlings because, like here, the years are always ‘glorious’ (as in ‘12 glorious years’). Just like it is at WF Towers, did you know? Colour: white wine. Nose: it kicks off a bit like the Pioneer, with lovely lemon, but then it swiftly expands with more apples, flowers, and herbs, especially wormwood and woodruff. We absolutely adore this. There are even some hints of wild garlic and definitely a touch of beeswax. The much lighter impact of the cask lets the delightful distillate sing, much to our pleasure. Mouth: you get that slight waxy, oily, and sooty note that even somewhat evokes a certain famous distillery in Campbeltown, then there’s a massive and unexpected (and spectacular) arrival of cocoa powder and Ovaltine. The citrus and green apples provide the backbone, and it all works very well. Finish: fairly long, fresh, with citrus, a touch of green pepper, and turmeric. Very good. Comments: and apparently, the barley was even organic.
SGP:551 - 87 points.

Deanston 14 yo 2008/2023 (55.8%, Simply Good Whisky, Kirsch Import, refill bourbon barrel, cask #KI-0011)

Simply Good Whisky with a simply clean label, so let’s have a go at crafting a simply honest tasting note. Colour: straw. Nose: a touch greasier and seemingly fuller, with more jams, marmalades, and a hint of wax. In short, there's a definite Clynelish character here, and one simply cannot complain about that. With water: it's magic! Deanston through and through! Mouth (neat): frankly, it’s very much in the vein of Clynelish, only slightly 'dirtier' and with a bit of that Campbeltown vibe, like the previous one. Charcoal, slag, and so on. Very pretty citrus notes, led by pink grapefruit and a dash of Szechuan pepper. With water: i suspect a mistake with the stencil—or perhaps the barcode. Citrus, beeswax, pollen, tangerines, olive oil… Finish: same. Perfect peppery aftertaste. Comments: tsk-tsk, they've made a mistake here; this isn’t ‘Simply Good Whisky’, it’s ‘Simply Fabulous Whisky’.
SGP: 562 - 89 points.

The world of Scotch whisky really needs the independents, it's just obvious. Veritas in Acetabulo Whiski est. I swear to you, that's classical Latin. Go on, one more...

Deanston 12 yo 2012/2024 (56.9%, Whisky Sponge, Decadent Drinks, Web exclusive, 1st fill bourbon barrel, 101 bottles)

Ha-ha, seems WF is 'Web exclusive' too these days, though we did toy with the idea of going print about twenty years back. Colour: straw. Nose: well, more of the same, though there's a touch more Manzanilla or vin jaune about it. With water: softer now, with vanilla, barley, and a hint of polish... Mouth (neat): painfully excellent. Citrusy tension, wax, fino (indeed, I did notice it was ex-bourbon). With water: we shan't even mention it. Oranges, wax, sesame oil, walnut wine, a touch of curry and mustard... essentially, Château-Chalon in a glass. Finish: much the same. Comments: I’m aware it might seem like I’m biased whenever I taste one of Angus’s whiskies. Perhaps it’s not even worth swearing to you that this doesn’t affect my judgment (and yet it probably does, but maybe in the opposite direction). So, I hereby officially suggest that Decadent Drinks release a (very) small batch of very bad whisky, and then you'll see what happens here on WF. Should be doable, no?
SGP:562 - 90 points.

By the way, we’ve just received a press release from a major distillery in the Highlands (not Deanston!), which we won’t name. They were loudly proclaiming the release of three new expressions as part of their supposed 'innovations': an Amarone Wine Cask Finish, a Madeira Cask Finish, and a Tempranillo Wine Cask Finish. And this happens almost every day at Château WF.

Check the index of all Deanston we've tasted so far