Deanston 12 Year Sherry Oak

This was a difficult review. My first attempt on Day 1 led to palate burn so I tried again on Day 2. On the nose, a very fruit-forward presence with strong citrus aromas (Mandarin orange?). Some alcohol but way below its actual strength at 54%. Maybe a hint of vanilla in the background? Hard to say. Undiluted on the tongue it quickly burns, and citrus overwhelms. A short finish with little depth. Adding water reveals moderate visual swirls and enhances the citrus even more on the nose and tongue. Some slight toffee emerges but the burn maintains. Finish is still short. Deanston came highly recommended and at $120 it was a bit of a disappointment.

Deanston 12 year Sherry Oak is not the same as the standard 12 year. This one is a Taiwanese market exclusive that I won at auction. The only info I have on the maturation is “finished in sherry casks”, so I don’t know what the primary maturation casks were (I suspect a mix of bourbon and sherry), or the length of the finishing period (I suspect 6-12 months). Bottled at 40% ABV, chill filtered and most likely has colorant added making it a beautiful ruby red. Wow, talk about sweet. The nose is super sweet with intense sherry. Lots of sweet fruits, raisins, dates, grapes, plums, prunes. Brown sugar and vanilla, toffee, milk chocolate, honey and toasted oak. Fresh grainy bread, spiced fruitcake, this stuff is like a cavity riddled Christmas in a glass. Light oranges, pears and apricots. Banana bread and some sulfur after a while, but the sulfur notes are minimal at best and completely innocuous. Some may find this stuff over the top sweet, but it’s just right for me. Like the nose, the palate is super sweet. Sherry, toffee and lots of honey. Raisins, fruitcake, nutmeg. Spicy chocolate which helps to balance out the sweetness (a little bit), a slight bitterness from a walnut note. Oranges, dried mango and apricots. Sticky sweet and syrupy. The palate definitely goes over the top and is most certainly a desert dram. Light to medium bodied mouthfeel that is a bit watery and dry. A medium length finish that is sticky sweet with fruitcake, sherry, sulfur and is quite dry. Far too sweet for an everyday dram, but after a light meal when you want ice cream or pudding, this would make a fine choice. I can say this though, the Taiwanese must have one hell of a sweet tooth if this is indicative of the type of scotch that sells there. I really did enjoy the nose on this one and could spend the entire night nosing it. The palate is where it hits a snag. Other than a little spice and bread, it’s all sweet, sweet, sweet. Hammer price was $44 and even after my buyer’s fees and shipping I still think it was a good price for what I got. 3.75 Cheers