Deanston 17 Years Old

An official release of Deanston, a 17 year old, at 40%. Deanston is a Highland single malt, the old cotton mill at Doune turned distillery in 1966. It draws water from the River Teith, which also drives the turbine that powers the distillery.

It was run through the bulbous stills with their upward sloping lyne arms, for the waxy, honeyed make Deanston is known for. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, oak lactones lending vanilla and a little coconut. At oxidative maturity aldehydes lend a nutty edge while ellagitannins add a gentle, drying grip to the honey. 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. It was mothballed in 1982 and revived in 1990 under Burn Stewart. Maturing in the vaulted stone warehouse, the spirit develops slow and steady.

Bottled at 40%, it is rounded. Baked apple, honey and a creamy malt, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The texture is soft and waxy, the fruit lifted by vanilla. The finish is long, waxy and gently spiced. This is Deanston, the mill turned distillery on the Teith.