Teithmill 2015 TCaH (The Caskhound)

This Deanston was bottled by the bottler The Caskhound, a 10 year old, distilled in 2015, from cask 460, bottled at 51.8%, one of 272 bottles. Deanston is a Highland single malt, unchillfiltered and made from Scottish barley near Stirling. The site was the Adelphi cotton mill, built in 1785 by Sir Richard Arkwright and turned to whisky in 1965.

The spirit was mashed in the open top tun and fermented long for a fruity make, for a soft, waxy make of green apple and honey. Finished in an Oloroso cask, the wood building over the green, waxy fruit. Integration folds eugenol (clove) and vanillin (vanilla) into the malt, the body softer and waxier. Long ageing turns the fresh fruit towards honey, dried fruit and a soft spice. It was mothballed in 1982 and revived in 1990 under Burn Stewart. Active wood frames the fruit without overwhelming the soft Highland spirit.

At 51.8%, undiluted, it is deep and honeyed. Baked apple, honey and a creamy malt, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Beneath it run green apple, pear and a soft honey. A honeyed finish ends on apple and a fiery oak spice. This is a Highland single malt of real character.