Deanston 12 Years Old (40%)

Deanston from the distillery, a 12 year old, at 40%. Deanston is a Highland single malt distilled in a converted cotton mill on the River Teith near Doune. Its old weaving shed, once full of looms, is now a cool stone warehouse for the casks.

It was worked through a long ferment and the bulbous stills for a waxy, fruity make, for a clean, fruity spirit with a waxy edge. First fill bourbon gave a fuller vanilla and a touch of coconut from the lactones. Through integration spirit and wood marry, vanillin settling into a rounded vanilla as ethyl esters lend a riper apple and pear. 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. It draws water from the River Teith, which also drives the turbine that powers the distillery. The waxy texture is the Deanston signature, carried through the years in cask.

At 40% it is smooth and honeyed. A waxy, malty sweetness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A baked apple and a gentle clove lift it. Apple, honey and a soft oak spice see out a long finish. This is the soft, waxy malt of Doune.