Deanston 15 Years Old 2008 Cask #172 (The Caskhound)

The bottler The Caskhound bottled this Deanston, a 15 year old, distilled in 2008, from cask 172, bottled at 53.5%, one of 280 bottles. Deanston is a Highland single malt, the old cotton mill at Doune turned distillery in 1966. Its old weaving shed, once full of looms, is now a cool stone warehouse for the casks.

It was distilled from unpeated Scottish barley in bulbous copper stills, the long ferment building a fruity, estery character. An Oloroso cask held it, shaping the honeyed spirit over the years. At oxidative maturity vanillin and lactones are fully expressed, the malt deepening over its waxy weight. River Teith water and a long ferment give the fruity, estery Deanston make. The waxy texture is the Deanston signature, carried through the years in cask. Refill oak lets the waxy, honeyed Deanston character lead the way. The distillery sits on the River Teith near Doune, between Stirling and the Highlands.

At a hearty 53.5% it carries real weight. Baked apple, honey and a creamy malt, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. A baked apple and a gentle clove lift it. A long, honeyed finish carries a green apple and a ginger spice. This is the cotton mill malt of the River Teith.