With a smooth and creamy sweetness, hints of fruit, malty honeyed spiciness and soft vanilla, our crisp Deanston 12 year whisky finishes with a satisfying tingle of cloves.
Tasting Notes
Colour
Caramel
Nose
Fresh hays of summer, malty cereal, rich creamy toffee and honeyed heather, balanced with sweet oak and barley sugar.
Palate
Smooth creamy sweetness with sumptuous hints of fruit, malty honeyed spiciness and soft vanilla.
Finish
Crisp and satisfying with a tingle of cloves which linger, then gently fade.
Our Review
Deanston was our choice, just by random, as the distillery of the month for February.
Having never tried Deanston, we were intrigued by their history.
Their core range has only two whiskies, the Virgin Oak and the 12 Year Old, then they have some specials and limited editions.
With an average retail price £37.97 and bottled at 46.3%, its non chilled filtered and natural colour, we score it 97.14/100 as a value score.
On the nose, immeadiately on nosing there is a mystery note, the best way to discribe the note is wet cardboard, but its sweeter than that and pleasant, it must be the hay note as discribed by the distillery, past that there is a sweet honey smell with a malt note. Its a nice nose, it doesnt jump out the glass at you, rather, incourages you to search, but it is worthwhile.
On the palate, it has a syrup like and oily mouthfeel, we don't like using that discriptor, but its accurate, it coats your tongue in a sweet nectar. Its a warming, almost citrus tangy and spicey taste, then there is the vanilla from the bourbon influence of the cask. It is a glorious dram.
Adding water releases even more spice from separating some of the oils from the ethanol and more of the hay note appears. It calms the alcohol on the palate. But it is spicy on the finish, almost Talisker 10 spicy.
It is a really nice whisky, so much, it is now a must have for our collection.
We score it 90/100 for an overall score. Its glorious, highly recommended.