Deanston 12 Years Old 2008 Cask #180 (Elixir)

A Deanston of a 12 year old chosen by the London bottler Elixir Distillers, distilled in 2008, from cask 180, bottled at 56.9%, one of 204 bottles. Deanston is a soft, malty Highland single malt from the old Adelphi cotton mill at Doune. Its old weaving shed, once full of looms, is now a cool stone warehouse for the casks.

It was run through the bulbous stills with their upward sloping lyne arms, for the waxy, honeyed make Deanston is known for. A bourbon barrel held it, the wood adding a light vanilla and a soft honey. By the integrating teens congeners fade and esters build, the waxy, honeyed spirit growing rounder. Years in oak round the spirit, the green apple and honey deepening over the wax. The mill ran for 180 years before cotton declined and the site became a distillery. The clean, fruity spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and honey to the fore.

Bottled at a cask strength 56.9%, it is rich. Apple, pear and a soft honey, with a soft vanilla from the oak. It is fruity and waxy, the malty spirit shining through. The finish is long, waxy and gently spiced. This is the cotton mill malt of the River Teith.