Deanston 24 Years Old 1996 Cask #HL 17661 (Old Malt Cask)

A Deanston of a 24 year old chosen by the Glasgow bottler Hunter Laing, distilled in 1996, from cask HL 17661, bottled at 50%, one of 452 bottles. Deanston is a waxy, honeyed Highland malt made in a former mill on the banks of the Teith. It uses 100% Scottish barley and bottles its malt unchillfiltered, with no added colour.

It was distilled slowly for a clean, fruity spirit, giving the soft, malty Highland spirit. Finished in an Oloroso cask, the wood building over the green, waxy fruit. In the oxidative, evaporative years concentration brings dried fruit and honey over the waxy Deanston softness. The light, fruity make takes cask flavour well while keeping its honey and wax. The site was the Adelphi cotton mill, built in 1785 by Sir Richard Arkwright and turned to whisky in 1965. A gentle maturation suits the soft make, the honey and wax growing richer with time.

At a hearty 50% it carries real weight. Green apple, honey and a waxy malt, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. It is fruity and waxy, the malty spirit shining through. The finish is long, waxy and gently spiced. This is a fruity, unchillfiltered Highland single malt.