Deanston 18 Year

Initially wasn’t that impressed relative to other 18 year olds, but it kept getting better with a side of blue cheese. Liked the bitterness cutting through.

Sweet and rich nose that is very inviting with vanilla, caramel, almost a fruit salad vanilla ice cream. Entry is soft and a tad thin with a very subtle early hint of peat that vanishes quickly. Mild burn and alcohol pulls down the experience a tad and it veers towards being a bit too sweet and hides any complexity along the way. Easy to recommend to casual and newcomers although regulars might like to steer towards something a bit more neutral and revealing of complexity. Difficult to recommend at this ~120-140 usd price point.

Very nice on the nose but not so smooth on the palate.

AGE comes through well. OLD dusty wood, dry bark, oak nuts, chestnuts. Fresh red and yellow APPLES, juicy, clean, like in a young GLENGOYNE. Nectarines, dried pineapple. Raspberries. Tropical - mango, papaya. Coconut water. Slight banana note. Freshly pressed orange juice, blood oranges, orange peels, sweet tangerines. Lime juice and lime peels. Wild strawberries. Candied morello cherries. Black currants. Brambles (Blackberries). Soft marzipan in the back of it. Vanilla pod. With aeration, STAR ANISE. Very soft refreshing minerality. Earthy. Palate is sweet, fruity, and with a mild mature bitterness. Cardamon. Cinnamon. Slightly drying. Cocoa powder as it goes down. Fruitier than the 1''2, softer, and somewhat drier. Sweet, but does not have the caramel you find on the 1''2 ( vanilla, however, definitely ). The 1''8 furthermore lacks the certain barnyard funk I get in the 1''2. Short finish - Otherwise, this is ~ ~ Very solid.

Pears and green apples on the nose. Sweet vanilla and spice on the palate. Holding it in your mouth the whiskey gets warm and full, delivering a medium finish with more orchard fruits. Adding some water opens up the apples on the nose and brings out a bit more tartness

Yum

Light straw colour. Nose: funky & musky leather, buttery, caramel, apple pie. Palate: sweet candy with mint and ginger, citrus, still buttery with a creamy and rich mouthfeel. Finish: long, nutty, warm oak, then cinnamon apple comes thru late.

Nose: Watermelon, vanilla, a little earthiness Palate: Lemon, citrus, boiled sweets (pear drops), ginger. This is a lovely, fresh dram that doesn't show it's age. Finish: Smooth and mellow with a slightly nutty tang. The finish is very short and dissipates almost immediately. This is a very fresh, elegant and clean tasting whisky. The taste is lovely and very moreish, however it is just a little too weak and watery to really stand out.

A nice and sweet dram. The price is really good for an 18 y/o, and it is still very nice. Would have been 5/5 if it was a little more complex.