Deanston Organic Oloroso Cask Finish 16 Years Old 2002

Deanston from the distillery, a 16 year old, from 2002, at 50.6%, 3492 bottles in all. Deanston is a Highland single malt known for its waxy texture and unchillfiltered bottlings. The mill ran for 180 years before cotton declined and the site became a distillery.

Distilled slowly for a clean, fruity spirit, giving the soft, malty Highland spirit. It was matured in an Oloroso cask, the wood working slowly into the waxy malt. At oxidative maturity vanillin and lactones are fully expressed, the malt deepening over its waxy weight. A gentle maturation suits the soft make, the honey and wax growing richer with time. The long ferment and clear wort give a fruity spirit that ages with grace. The clean, fruity spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and honey to the fore. The site was the Adelphi cotton mill, built in 1785 by Sir Richard Arkwright and turned to whisky in 1965.

At cask strength 50.6% it is full bodied. A bright, honeyed orchard fruit, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. A baked apple and a gentle clove lift it. A honeyed finish ends on apple and a fiery oak spice. This is Deanston's waxy, fruity Highland style.