Deanston 7 Years Old 2006 Cask #4521 (Whiskymax)

A Deanston of a 7 year old chosen by the bottler Whiskymax, distilled in 2006, from cask 4521, bottled at 49%, one of 390 bottles. Deanston is a bright, fruity Highland single malt distilled in a Victorian mill at Doune. It was mothballed in 1982 and revived in 1990 under Burn Stewart.

The spirit was mashed in the open top tun and fermented long for a fruity make, for a clean, fruity spirit with a waxy edge. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, oak lactones lending vanilla and a little coconut. In these extractive early years the oak gives vanillin as vanilla and oak lactones as coconut over bright green apple and honey. Refill oak lets the waxy, honeyed Deanston character lead the way. The long ferment and clear wort give a fruity spirit that ages with grace. The distillery sits on the River Teith near Doune, between Stirling and the Highlands. The site was the Adelphi cotton mill, built in 1785 by Sir Richard Arkwright and turned to whisky in 1965.

Bottled at a cask strength 49%, it is rich. Green apple, honey and a waxy malt, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A baked apple and a gentle clove lift it. It finishes long, waxy and warming. This is the cotton mill malt of the River Teith.