Malt Box Whisky Review 155 - Deanston 18yr old

[@russell3733]

Great review, Andy, many thanks. My bottle of Deanston 18 is an older bottling filled in 2016. It’s good drinking without being spectacular. A simple and solid dram. If the newer bottling in the new livery is even better, then I’ll be more than satisfied. There’s simply far too few ex-bourbon matured malts on the market these days, so we need to support the ones that continue the good work - at a fair price. Cheers.

[@leejaybrown5567]

Great review Andy love this expression got mine through the Summerton club few months back. Cheers mate

[@welshtoro3256]

Still good value although my favourite bang for buck 18 right now is Ledaig. Glen Scotia 18 is a good one too and all three of these whiskies are available. We know of other, very desirable, 18 year old's (perv mode deactivated) but they are both expensive and/or difficult to find.

[@AlReyn]

Great review Andy got a bottle of the 18 only a few weeks ago - only had a couple of drams but really liking it so far. Fan of the 12 too 👍

[@allanwhittle3041]

As usual ....Another Good review , which i agree with ( always helps !) top man ..keep em coming ..Appreciated !!

[@MaltBoxWhisky]

Thanks for watching Allan, great to have you along for the ride!

[@olivierbeltrami]

Over the years I have also moved away from all the finishes and honed in on ex-Bourbon casks.

[@youknowhuwitis]

I just got a bottle of this and I’m not sure what to make of it. It’s obviously a somewhat complex malt with a strong finish but there aren’t any particularly strong flavours that jump out at me on the nose, palate…

[@MaltBoxWhisky]

Hi Billy, I'd say give it some time. It's one of the best value 18s in the market IMO, especially in the current climate 👍

[@maltymission]

Deanston seems to be a bit of a chameleon imo: it works well with whatever cask you put it in. Quite fond of the virgin oak, loving my 9 yo Bordeaux cs expression as well. Think it’s the oily- waxy structure in there that ties it all together. That said, only had older versions of the 12 and 18, which didn’t blow my socks off, but I’ll happily take your and Roy’s word for it. Cheers Andy!

[@MaltBoxWhisky]

The 12 just ticks so many of my boxes. Fantastic value for money as is the 18. Similar levels of enjoyment for me personally

[@RebMordechaiReviews]

In my opinion, this lovely Single Malt would have been so much better had it been bottled at 50% abv (like Bruichladdich) and not the standard Distell Group Branding 46.3% abv like Tobermory and Bunnahabhain. You called it soft. I think this is due to being watered down too much. Try adding even a small amount of water and you'll drown it. A sure sign.

[@derekthedullard]

Rebbly rebster.

[@RebMordechaiReviews]

I know that the label states "Matured in First Fill Barrels" but if you speak to the distillery then you'll find that this isn't true! At least the Deanston Virgin Oak states that it was "Finished in Virgin Oak casks". It is annoying though that the Virgin Oak label does not mention that the whisky, just like this Deanston 18, was previously matured in Refill Ex-Bourbon hogsheads before being finished. So the label on the Deanston 18 should actually read "Finished in First Fill Barrels"! Incidentally, the old brown box Deanston 18 clearly states "Originally laid down in hogshead casks this Deanston Single Malt whisky was then transferred into carefully selected First Fill Kentucky Bourbon casks.....". So where did the new bottling go wrong? I'd put this down to a complete disconnect between the marketing guys at head office and the distillery. It seems that they never spoke to the distillery and composed the text purely based on some fact sheet they were handed. The problem is compounded by the fact that I know that people have been complaining for years when visiting the distillery (as well as online reviewers saying the same thing), and telling the distillery shop assistants and guides there, of our annoyance that the label neglects to state "Natural Colour" as well as not giving us enough information (or being deceptive) about cask maturation. My experience was that their reaction to these complaints was one of complete surprise and puzzlement as if it's the first time they have been told this! I found this utterly astonishing. Do the guys at Deanston not watch reviews of their products? Do they not read the nonsense printed on their bottle labels and wonder why they do not reflect the actual product? The guide proudly told me that you won't find a bottle of E150a anywhere in the distillery. They wouldn't dream of adding colourant! So, I replied, why don't they state this on the label?????? The guy reacted as if it was the first time someone had raised this issue. They have had years to correct this issue and have neglected to do so. I am sure there is a reason why Deanston do not state "Natural Colour" on their labels. I cannot think of what it could be though. It's all very suspicious.

[@derekthedullard]

REBBY!!!