Deanston 18 Year Cognac Cask

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.