Deanston 12-year-old

https://whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com/2023/08/02/bottle-polishing-a-summer-pair/ Having previously enjoyed this permashelf bottling on a number of occasions [WLP185 WLP286 WLP387], another bottle was inevitable. N: In five words, wood, banana, cream > plantain > omelette. Of the woodiness, we are talking of a clean & clear/active first-fill bourbon influence, so confectionary vanilla is also a given. A Scotch for bourbon fans, perhaps? As this open bottle enters its second year, the egginess lifts, largely to be replaced by a far more pleasing maltiness – and a fusty maltiness at that. It’s at the heel of the bottle that things begin to sing. A touch of honeysuckle, rose apple, and the like, provide some bonus top notes. T: More than halfway down the bottle, unfortunately, this less than pleasing slightly eggy gacky/edgy/resinous bourbon-derived, [mahogany] woody profile persists. Compared to earlier releases, I ask myself – where’s the sweet banana, where’s the toffee, where are the nuances? Again, It took two years for this bottle to open up and chill out a little. Well into year two, we’ve a transition towards a sweeter maltier direction after a persistent active wood spice explosion. Though the citric woody spiciness endures, additional water will bring out a few of the nuances I was looking/hoping for. F: Gacky/filmy sour/bitter ex-bourbon wood for the large part. Things are far more desirable at the heel of the bottle, creamy if green maltiness the main improver, though overall, it remains immediate even lightly insipid. C: What a difference two years makes. I had this at a dislikable 80 for a fair while. Thankfully, a sour-to-sweet evolution in the bottle came through with the casks softening almost enough. A tad full-on – cask-wise – for my liking, but it’s a fine line. A very decent malt but other versions have been more to my liking.

12/09/2022 84.5 / 100 Color: Amber, natural. AROMA - 21 /25 Quite "winey," maritime with notes of caramel, apple, forest earthiness, and wood. A touch of iodine appears here, followed shortly by jammy fruit. Pleasant, woody, with well-hidden alcohol. TASTE - 22 / 25 Marine and sweet-woody. After a while, it smoothly transforms, revealing notes of sugar-coated fruit, bananas in cake, and cocoa kogel-mogel. A bit of resin also appears towards the end. FINISH - 20.5 / 25 Notes of cappuccino, caramel, and wood emerge, along with smoked fruit. Very pleasant, though not overly long. BALANCE - 21 / 25 It's a pleasant surprise. It starts off fruity and maritime, and ends with an autumnal feel and smoked fruit.

The Deanston 12 is a wonderful Highland whisky. The pure ex-bourbon maturation brings out plenty of citrus, caramel, and fruit notes. A lovely spiciness from the wood and herbal notes blend perfectly with the sweet fruit aromas. The overall character is defined by sweet and sour fruits, spice, grain, and herbal notes. A truly beautiful, straightforward single malt from the Highlands. The quality and price are outstanding. The Deanston 12 is certainly one of those whiskies you'll always want on your shelf.

2nd version with new bottling, still in ex bourbon casks.

This is a flawless dram that offers bang for bucks rarely seen in single malts. It’s simple without being boring, a sweet, mouth coating bourbon cask matured product that will go very fast despite the fact that it’s the most inexpensive scotch I own.

Tasted versus the Virgin Oak. This one is much more balanced and pleasent. Still lots of fruit and quite a long finish.

Value (£38) : 7/10

pleasant, rich yet easy-going

Back to basics in the best way possible. Great character malt with a good presentation. Find smells and flavours like malt, citrus, vanilla, wood spices, honey and toffee. A bit of water helps to open up the whisky and make it a bit more lively without losing richness. Much better than a lot of fancy (read expensive) whisky's

Honey, new wood, apple/pear, nondescript herbal, almond walnut, waxy, medium mouthfeel, creamy, honedew,

little to sweet for my tasate, but a good and fun whisky for my collection.

This is easily in my top 10 affordable bottlings. It's everything you want from a well priced, entry level whisky - non-chill filtered, natural colour and bottled at a good ABV. Some people don't like that waxy, almost soapy style spirit that Deanston produces, but I think it's what makes them unique.

Tasted blind N: sherry notes plus a hint of smoke, some leather and coffee, woody as well, floral and with some salinity M: mineral, sherry sweetness, no sulphur, quite thick, salt and spices, a bit dirty F: satisfying with salt and sherry sweetness Something between campbeltown and highlands It feels 48+/- 2% vol. and 12-14 years old I quite liked it 86

https://whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com/2019/04/03/whiskylive-2019-day-1-part-2/ After TBWC stand, I’d no specific plans. Brian Houston from Deanston catches my eye so I decide to refresh my memory of Deanston’s new-found excellence after a distillery visit there in 2017 [blog]. C: The 18yo shares a similar pleasing profile to the 12yo with something lost & something gained – plenty gained actually. Both crackers! Both score 87 points

Coming off a Glengoyne 12/18 year old and in my opinion this is way better. More characterful. A nice viscous mouthfeel, minerality, soft herbal notes along with vanilla and stone fruits. One of the better young OBs I think. Reminded me of a softer Springbank 10 - a compliment!

Sour sweet applesauce with raisins, assorted dried fruits, white grapes and vanilla. RATING: 85pts - [n21,t22,f21,b21] → |83-85: Decent|

Good vfm. A simple, vanilla-forward scotch.

really fruity and delicious for below 40€ - absolutely stunner!

I am somewhat guilty of neglecting Deanston so far, and I am not even sure why. To me, it has always been the least interesting distillery in the Distell portfolio. On the nose, apple pie, honeydew melon and lemongrass mingle with malty and cereal-rich notes. Nothing sticks out, but it is quite pleasant. Spicy and drying flavors surprise on the palate before it mellows with juicy fruits, peppery oak and a touch of cider. A few drops of water help. Orange zest, honey and lingering spices migrate into the savory and floral finish. I am certainly not disappointed. RATING: 3.5/5.0 stars ≙ 84 pts → ABOVE AVERAGE

Tasted from a 5cl official sample. Not a light distillate. Really convinced that I would enjoy even more a full bottle (I will have it on my shelf for sure).

Great bourbon for the price

Excellent standard. Great nose, very full-bodied with familiar ExBC notes and a pleasant, medium-length finish. Also includes an age statement, no color, no chill filtration, and a comfortable drinking strength. Some distilleries could certainly learn a thing or two from this.

very bourbon, rich, sweet

https://whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com/2017/08/01/deanston-from-mill-to-distillery-part-2/ N: Oily barley, cereal-fruits, dusty flour, a little clay, bitter-sweet oils and fruity biscuit notes – less banana more raisins. Solid & simple complexity. T: Oily barley again with a bitter oily/molasses edge. Nice & clean, [oily clean] bitter oily chew. Water brings to the fore more cereal sweetness and another touch of clay with that prevalent bitter molasses note – bitter-sweet all the way. F: Waxy-dry molasses. C: Bitter-sweet fruity oily barley spirit with raisins over bananas – what’s not to like? I’m amazed how faithful the spirit is to the airborne smells of the distillery. Big improvements over previous decades. During my three week distillery trip, this was the only bottle i bought directly. Scores a B-

Maybe they want to cover the spirit by using some very intense wood (charred bourbon oak?). Iam not very fond on this whisky. It is not bad but very American, bourbon like.

Kinda like Kilkerran 12 without peat. Of course even more fruity. A very fresh citrusy dram that is easy to enjoy. This is my preferred summer dram as of now. :) Hoegaarden among scotch whiskies. Somehow now its even better than the previous version. This fruity ride is truly amazing. And the new presentation of the bottle... Amazing as well! Its really beautiful. I feel like it matured in sherry casks for some brief time. Which would make it diffetent from previous "model".

Honest, tasty, refreshing. Simple and good. Or is it more 'simply good'?

RATING: 85pts – |83 – 86 (B) → Good| — Not a “must”, but a nice-to-have.

Full of spices with an intense influence of the cask. The discreet fruity notes on the nose round off its appearance. Thus, he isn't two dimensional like some (or most ?) other 12 years standard whiskies.

Deanston 12 *Age statement: 12 years old, including a vintage. *Alcohol percentage at least 46%: yes, 46.3%. *Amount of filtration: stated on the front of the bottle as non-chillfiltered. *Use of caramel coloring {E150a}: stated on the front of the bottle as uncolored. (4 out of 4, regarding craft/integrity presentation and communication). Without water Nose/olfaction: cherries, apples, grains. It smells like a fruity whisky should, and fits nicely next to other bourbon cask matured single malts. Palate/gustation: it screams bourbon cask, by mimicking even more than just the vanillas, cherry and lemon, there’s also a nuttiness that’s distinct to bourbon. Finish/coda: there’s not a lot there, but the sweetness remains and some more minerality appears. With water Nose/olfaction: less minty, by smelling the two glasses next to each other it becomes clear that the water warms the nose up a bit. Palate/gustation: more bitterness and some saltiness or umami notes get unlocked, Finish/coda: the finish becomes more pronounced, water truly opens it up. Deanston 12 is one of the most honest whiskies on the market, there is nothing loud that distracts from the spirit, no caramel coloring, no filtration, no sherry casks that spice up the party, no peat that takes center presence. Instead there is but a simple honest character that tastes like many other whiskies, perhaps teenage single barrels or trashy blended bottles. But it presents this character in an unrestricted manner, at an affordable price and by making it ubiquitous in the world market.

Tropical and bright fruits, malty, sweet Delicious

A soft, honeyed and bourbon-influenced malt that leans heavily into comfort, texture, and natural sweetness. The nose opens on honey, vanilla, malt and light citrus, setting a clean and approachable tone. On the palate it expands into a waxy, oily mouthfeel with a solid cereal backbone and gentle orchard fruit character (apple, baked apple, soft citrus). Supporting notes of honey butter, barley sugar, caramel, brioche and oatmeal creaminess give it a rounded, dessert-like malt profile without becoming heavy. The finish is medium in length, fading through honeyed cereal into a slightly bittersweet oak edge, providing just enough structure to keep things balanced. Overall impression A rounded, buttery and easy-going single malt with standout texture and a comforting sweetness. Not complex in a dramtic sense, but very well-judged and satisfying — a whisky that prioritises mouthfeel and drinkability over intensity or evolution.

Solid and dramble.

Ralfy review 716: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIFSZZ0SNfo (88/100). "A classic example of an improving modern single malt whisky which is not encumbered with disingenuous fictional marketing..." Ralfy review 807: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPG1YN19bLk (89/100). Ralfy's whisky of the year 2020.

Floral, fruity, creamy. Waxy even. Sour apples, pineapple, pears, hint of lemon, honey, barley sugar, touch of vanilla, ginger. Water brings out some white chocolate but takes away some of the waxiness. This is lovely, and tastes way better than my last outing with it.

After Ralfy named this "Whisky of the year", I bought a bottle. Unfortunately a disappointment. A nice aroma and taste of vanilla, nuts and chocolate but a nasty chemical aftertaste makes it one of the worse 12 year olds you can buy. Buy BenRiach, Benromach or Mackmyra's "Brukswhisky" instead.

Very, very good for the start of the line, dense, rich, everything is perfectly balanced, no inappropriate youthful shades, everything is smooth, coherent and polished, I would even put this whisky among the best initial releases along with Clinelish 14, Ben Nevis 10 and Springbank 10 .

great first taste, bit of a alcoholic kick then back into nice sweetness

A real competitor to Ben Nevis! Only much cheaper! Strictly speaking, it is hard to believe that there are no sherry casks in the blend. Another alternative to the heavy industrial fruity Scotch whiskies! 22 22 21 21

Honey sweet and citrus fruits

On the same level as Ben Nevis 10, Springbank 10, Bunna 12, Craigellachie 13, or Clynelish 14, which is to say, a really fat and substantial, oily, and pungent spirit drawn from high-quality casks. Hard to beat in this price segment.

Better and more distinct than Deanston 12yo was over 5 years ago when I last tried it.

2021-06-03

Indeed a very competently made entry level malt not (just) for whisky novices. Full-bodied, flavorsome, and imho def better distillate than what's in the - to me inferior - 18 nowadays. Looking forward to a potentially bright future if the don't f things up by selling the company to a bigwig and/or charging a fortune the time a new 18 or 21 yo hits the shelves. Fingers crossed. :-)

The longer it stays on the shelf, the more it gets soapy. Strange.

A very good ex-Bourbon barrel whisky at this price budget.

Tasted directly at the distillery. An appealing dram. 71-80 – Fine, like to drink by time

This is a really impressive bottle for the price, simple but effective, not easily boring, both fresh and full of sweetness. The aromas really go hand in hand, an impressive harmony. An original herbal background structure reveals a beautiful and unique character. Budget friendly, whisky lover friendly, what more could you want! Price performance: Good-Very good Would I buy it again?: Yes!

A strong ex-bourbon, edges a bit close to bourbon on the finish. Could use a few years to smooth off the rough edges. Solid and consistent throughout, not a favourite, but there's no pretension here.

aroma: soft, smooth, orchard fruit, caramel, vanilla taste: soft, rounded, flatter, vanilla Pleasant daily dram, fruity, light whisky

The 46.3% ABV works well. It's also simple but great in it's category.

A balanced, honest and well-crafted Bourbon maturation. Could also be a 20-year-old from some independent bottlers - an absolute recommendation for ex-bourbon beginners.

Nice ex bourbon cask for the small budget. I like it very much.

Nose: Malty, Skinless walnuts, Honey, Belgian waffles, Vanilla, A squeeze of lemon, Leather, Light spice, Tarragon, Mirabelle plum, a very nice nose Palate: fruity: mirabelle plum, star fruit, vanilla, honey, then light lemon zest, apricots follow Finish: A slight acidity remains, vanilla, honey, preserved apricot jam, it goes well again towards the end on, light lemon note. Conclusion: actually a great 12-year-old who really convinced me with a nice nose and great fruitiness paired with honey and vanilla. 88 points convinced me

86-

2020 Rating

(Bought march 2020. Bottle code 2018608 L516:5419226) Tasted 01.04.2020. APPEARANCE: Deep gold colour. Much darker than the Deanston 15 YO Organic. Quite viscous, noticeable long, slim legs on the side of the glass. NOSE: Dried fruits, mainly yellow; dried mango, dried banana. Waxy. Mineral notes, direction oils and metal, fresh engine oil. With time also some red dried fruits arrive. I think there must have been sherry or other wine casks in the mix here. A few drops of water opens it up a little more, emphasising the mineral aspect more. (88-89p) TASTE: The arrival is quite rich, red dried berry kind of fruity. On the mid palate there’s sweet barley juice (but darker than in the 15) and forest honey. With a few drops of water it becomes sweeter and full of sweet barley juice. (86-88p) FINISH: On the exit there’s barely juice with quite a bit of black pepper.... With a few drops of water it becomes sweeter. (86-87p) OVERALL: TOTAL SCORE 87 points.

A good whisky at a good price! Well done Deanston. If you're looking for something with no frills that offers a distinct profile with minimal flaws, you could do worse than to pick a bottle of this up.

Deanston 12-year-old, NC, NCF 46.3% The bottle is 1/3rd full.

Great price for value whisky, i am giving +1 point for that. Very good bourbon cask scotch, unique for a longer fermentation and waxy taste. On palate very waxy, oily, honey and apples, very refreshing, great dram for a summer for me. Slainte!

Like so many malts, better on the nose than the palate. Unlike so many other malts, it is quite characterful. Unfortunately I didn't often find myself reaching for that character. Water brings out a dirty/funkiness/mustiness. Will certainly buy another bottle, but might be a while.

Nose-84; Taste-84; Finish-85.

I really feared the new design... and heard rumors that Deanston changed something in their cask management as well.Tasted this next to the "old" Deanston 12 Version. They are very close together and I really enjoyed fiddling with those two Deanstons alone for quite some time. I gave it a solid 88 points - this is something I really cherrish. It's the perfect malt for me, enough edges, crafted by hand, without marketing bullshit (*cough* Grooves... *cough* FOL Cask Strength *cough* ) and Ex-Bourbon Cask with enough wood in it. It's not just another "sherry-something" and those are quite rare in the whisky world today. My Rating: 88 Normalized rating (non Deanston lover): 83 Price/Performance ratio: 99/100

Very good standard.

(Tasted 01.03.2019) NOSE: Already straight out of the bottle, this smells nicely of serious whisky with an initial nose of malt, minerals, iodine and light smoke. Like a cousin of Springbank. After some minutes the smoke disappears while iodine and malt takes over. It is a sweet biscuity maltiness. Then there are lemons. And the light smoke returns. Then more sweet maltiness. Engine oil and engine room. With a few drops of water: more lemon and malt. (89p) Initial TASTE: The arrival is slightly oily, then ginger, black pepper and salt. BODY: The oiliness enriches the body of this malt, which is quite sweet and rounded on the mid palate. Not very complex but really moreish and characterful. A little water doesn’t change much. (87p) FINISH: Black pepper, ginger, lemon (86p) = Weighted Rate 88 points

Deanston does a great job. I drank with great pleasure, I will definitely buy another one.

Dark golden colour. Oily whisky.

Very nice fruity character full of green apples, pears, but also vanilla, woody spices, malt, honey and hits of cocoa powder. Lovely easy sipper!

A balanced but not boring standard with the best from the bourbon barrel. Definitely an above-average standard.

Very floral. Also cereal, honey, vanilla, citrus, oak, and spices notes. Hints of toffee, and barley. Oily, thick mouthfeel. Mineral and salt on the finish. Somewhat sour. Well-balanced.

Brilliant value for money - enough complexity in this that you can come back to it again and again, finding something new. Thanks to the distillery who let the spirit shine!

A good malt. Simple but not trivial, with a low price.

Deanston 12YO Category: Single Malt Manufacturer and bottler: Deanston Distillery (Distell) Region: Highlands Fortress: 46.3% Volume: 700 ml Bottling date: 09.09.2020 Barrel type: Ex-Bourbon Age: 12 years old Filtration: none Dye: no Nose. Rich, sweet-sour with a slight spiciness. Flower honey, apple jam, orange confiture (baked oranges), plum and apricot jam with pits, tofifi sweets, a touch of beeswax, ginger, nutmeg, white pepper, vanilla, slight sulfur. Taste. Sweet citrus and yellow fruits, sprinkled with honey, framed by creamy caramel, malt-vanilla nuances, waxy viscosity and at the end of the sip attack spices. Wonderful, not monophonic, developing taste with a noticeable influence of wood, while being quite round, light and pleasant. Aftertaste. Medium duration. Dry. Citrus fruits, spices. Total. Great scotch and a wonderful distillery producing bourbon aging in that rich honey-wax-sulphur style that I love so much. No side notes that would indicate youth, all output characteristics are on top, just a very well-made product. I think that whisky may not surprise too much, but most connoisseurs will definitely like it and encourage them to further “study” the Deanston line. Rating: 85 out of 100.

Good value for money, i get feeling it's quality degraded over last few years... but it's still okay for the price

Because the best ex-bourbon barrel I have ever tasted is Deanston 18years-old, let’s try 12yo this time. The Deanston agent in Taiwan actually did not import this bottle of wine. Fortunately, it was purchased through a parallel import channel. On the day I opened the bottle, the taste was not very attractive. But two days after opening the bottle, the liquid in the bottle began to smell amazing. A very pure ex-bourbon barrel aroma, rich in aromas of wheat, honey, vanilla, toast, and butter, but not as sweet as toasted brûlée, which is a pity for me personally. 46.3% has an excellent impact on the taste, filling every sip with joy. Together with Dalwhinnie 15 & Tobermory 12, it ranks among the best in the affordable ex-bourbon barrel category. The score is 85 points, and the price does not affect the score.

If the cardboard smell and taste were not present, it would probably be a lot better. Unfortunately, you cannot avoid this.

I only had a sample, but I will definitely get a bottle of this. Price-quality ratio is very good!

https://whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com/2024/11/01/brighton-whisky-club-angels-share/ C: Perhaps sweeter and certainly more sherried than I’ve found it in the past [WLP185 WLP286 WLP387 WLP483], I’m impressed once again. Must get myself another bottle, it’s been too long. It remains fairly priced too.

N: pickled apples, rye sourdough starter, varnished wood, golden apples, vanilla, old furniture, some salted caramel, apple brandy. P: sweet, hot, apple brandy, raw wood, golden apples, vanilla, twigs, apple leaves, perfume freshness, a pinch of pepper. F: lingering, leaves, apple peel, unripe apricots, paper. It's a little bit harsh and seems younger than it is, but that's why it's charming at the same time.

85- Finally a 2nd bottle of a whisky that makes me both mad and joyful: Deanston 12 made me want to dwelve deeper into single malts (Kilkerran 12 and Clynelish 14 were the other two), a hobby that has been immensely rewarding while making me spend thousands of euros in the process. Not as enthusiastic as I was 7 years ago, but still a great 12 year-old OB.

Malty-fruity-sweet and vanilla - and thanks to the 12 years also a nice accompanying oak note - plus a great slightly oily mouthfeel. Considering the price-performance ratio, this is pretty good stuff. You can't get more whisky for the money, one of the best 12-year-olds I know.

Decent, malty, fragrant, new wood, dry, fruity good value for money

Tried this Deanston again at a whisky tasting, and fortunately it hasn't gone down any alley; a very nice whisky!