Tastes

Deanston is a younger Distillery. I believe it was started in 1967 in an old mill on a river. They have been making a lot of noise lately with their 12 and 18 year old expressions. This is a limited release that was done in 2015/16 timeframe I believe, US only. It has a pleasant citrus smell, grassy, vanilla (from the cognac?). The taste for me is like a slightly hoppy beer. Malty, a little bitter, some citrus. The finish is spicy, peppery, maybe a little too oaky. It seems like a 12-year-old where they may have not liked the original barrel results so tried to manipulate it with an additional 6 years in cognac casks. It is a lighter-tasting distillate but is thick enough in the mouth and has good feel. There is a light freshness to it. It's a bit like drinking a beer. lol. The fact that it is not colored nor chill filtered is awesome! Everyone should do this. The abv is also healthy which is nice. I am surprised at the distiller score. It seems a tad high. A bottle is not inexpensive but it is 18 years old... since it is 18 years old, you need to let it sit a little bit (15-30 mins recommended). It gets better with a little time in the glass. I raised my score because it was much, much better after resting 20 mins. After resting, a lot more vanilla on the palate and less harsh.

This is very hard to find now. Mine was bottled in 2016 so 26 years of maturation. Those years seem well spent as it is a fine dram. Since it is older, you should sip at pouring but let it rest a while. The nose is a nice citrus smell, maybe orange and a little earthy to me. On the palate it is sweet and malty and if you just hold it and let it dissolve it will show you all that it has to offer as it changes from sweet malt to a touch of sherry and citrus and finally it ends in peppery oaky spice. The finish is very long and spicy. Not a well known brand, mostly used in blends, but known to Scotch lovers and it does not disappoint. The first over 21 year old Whisky I acquired and well worth it. Once it is gone, there will be no more... Slàinte Mhath!

Talisker, Linkwood, Cragganmore and Caol Ila all 15 years minimum in a blend??? Whisky Tango Foxtrot, sign me up! Good on Diageo for putting this out there. A blend of single malts/vatted malt. It’s really good. I like it better than Johnny Walker Blue. It’s very mellow and not too peaty but has a little touch of smoke. Super easy to drink and not expensive. Sometimes you just want an easy, non-challenging whisky that tastes good and goes down without a fight. This is perfect for those times - Kudos to the master blender. The Distiller score is pretty legit. This goes into regular rotation!

A battle between Cognac and pure Islay peat smoke. The nose hints at promises of smoke and vanilla and spice and on the tongue its a scrum. It's like there is a party in your mouth and everyone is invited. The abv is cask strength but there is no alcohol burn or harshness which is surprising for an 8 year old. However, the abv makes its presence felt soon enough. This is some powerful whisky. It takes water really well, mellowing the smoke and opening up new flavors of butterscotch and nuts. This is a complex and powerful dram. I like it.

For a friend who tried this and did not have a love connection. Out of fairness I will not give a rating as said person is not a fan of peat or smoke. This is strictly for the entertainment of all! Color: rusty urine Nose: smells like burnt tires and band aids Palate: ass. Just ass. 100% ass. Smoky ass. Finish: more ass and charcoal briquettes IMHO, we all need more smoky ass/arse in our lives!

Wow, how does this have an 84 on Distiller? I really enjoy this whisky. It checks all the boxes: inexpensive (check), stronger abv (46.3, check), non-chill filtered (check), no coloring (check). It has a lot going on for a young Islay. It is not heavily peated which is nice but has a very slight touch of spicy smoke maybe. It is fruity, nutty and smells very nice. When you hold it on your tongue its like a little explosion of flavors. I get a lot of citrus and brine. The finish is easy and malty. I am a fan. This is how whisky should be. I wish that everyone would go the no-coloring and no-chill filtering way (Hello Diageo). This is working its way into my regular rotation.

I think that Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, and Balvenie are kind of easy-drinking, low-character single malts and I mean that in the best way. They are not super complex. They are very subtle. I find the Glenlivet 18 much more likable than most Glenfiddich. It has a nice nose: very light and fruity. It follows with being a little fruity and malty on the palate but doesn't get super exciting or controversial. It starts sweet and evolves into a light oak spice. The finish goes a little sour and bitter oak to me with a touch of alcohol. Someone on Reddit described it as "Gourmet Mac and Cheese" and I think that fits. It's like the gourmet Mac and Cheese of the single malts. It's a nice dram when I just want a drink and don't want anything too challenging for my palate. There are times for a complex whisky and this is good for the other times.

The Time Machine: This was no longer sold/bottled sometime before 2011. I have read 2005-2007 but the code on my bottle looks like 2008 or 2011, maybe different for the US market. It is a rare and great find. No one knows what this is so they ignore it and it sits on shelves. What is it? It is an Edrington product. A mixture of Macallan, Highland Park and probably Glenturret and/or Glenrothes to fill it out. This is Macallan made at the end of their golden age, with pre-1994 Golden Promise barley, aged in great sherry casks. It is Highland Park and Macallan before they became super popular and had a run on their stocks and had to resort to NAS whisky... it is like taking a time machine back 9-12 years and tasting these great whiskys at the near peak of their quality. 18 year old Macallan and Highland Park (and Glenturret and Glenrothes) distilled some 30 years ago!!! SEEK. THIS. OUT. Nose: Sherry sweetness, fruity, malty, no sulphur. Fantastic smell. Palate: Mild sherry on the tongue, little bit of oak spice, peppery and ends in mild smoke (HP). Very refined and silky on the tongue. Nice hint of malt. Finish: Good length but not overly long. Dissolves into peppery smoke and a little drying. This is one of the easiest drinking scotches I have ever tasted and makes me wish I was a whisky drinker back in the days of the Whisky Loch(Lake) and the abundance of great, inexpensive single malt scotch. I have 2019 Macallan 18 fine oak and this is much better. There is still great stuff out there but this is like a ghost from the past that reminds you of what has been lost. I can keep visiting this wonderful time of great whisky until the bottle goes empty which won't be very long I am afraid... slàinte.

I really want to like this. I love single malt (scotch and irish version) and I love pot still Irish Whiskey. It sounds so promising. Take these two GREAT things and combine and age them together. When you first nose it, it smells nice. Fruity and maybe a little malty. It is fairly nice on the palate until the finish in which a strong bitter, maybe astringent quality takes over. I have tried it a few times and get it each time. I don't know if it is from the cask wood or maybe I got a bad bottle or what. Anyway, I added water and the finish got less bitter and a little more fruity and sweet but still there was some bitter there. Once the bottle is gone, I will not get another. I also have the cask strength but have not tried and I hope it is better. I do tend to get a little bit of bitterness at the end of Irish Pot Still in general but not like this. I recommend trying a sample or a dram at a bar if possible before buying a bottle.

I don't love grain whisky but this mix of aged grain and pot still is super refined, triple distilled and like butter. The nose is so Irish with fruit and honey, the palate is lightly spicy, semi-sweet and velvety. It is a very easy to drink dram with a mellow finish. It's a little thin and I think it would be better with a higher ABV but it's a small omission. It's like the Johnny Walker Blue of Ireland.