Deanston 12 Years Old 2013 Zesty Assassin (VAME Malts)

The bottler VAME Malts bottled this Deanston, a 12 year old, distilled in 2013, bottled at 57.3%, one of 186 bottles. Deanston is a soft, malty Highland single malt from the old Adelphi cotton mill at Doune. It runs an open top mash tun, two wash and two spirit stills of a bulbous shape.

It was run through the bulbous stills with their upward sloping lyne arms, for a clean, fruity spirit with a waxy edge. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, a soft vanilla beneath the honey. Integration folds eugenol (clove) and vanillin (vanilla) into the malt, the body softer and waxier. Maturing in the vaulted stone warehouse, the spirit develops slow and steady. Years in oak round the spirit, the green apple and honey deepening over the wax. River Teith water and a long ferment give the fruity, estery Deanston make. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and coconut over the fruit.

At its natural 57.3% it is concentrated. A waxy, malty sweetness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. It is fruity and waxy, the malty spirit shining through. The finish runs long, fruity and warming. This is the cotton mill malt of the River Teith.