28/11/2025 Deanston

Deanston  11yo (50.1%, The Hampstead Beverage Collective Explorers & Elements Series, 1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Cask, 72b, b#72): nose: woody! A cascade of nutshells of all kinds, followed rapidly by oak and beech furniture that has just been oiled. We then have dark mushrooms (shiitake, maitaki, a cluster of brown beech) and old planks drying in a musty shed. In fact, it is woodier and woodier with each sniff, coming close to woodworm and old garden furniture. Perhaps it has roasted chestnuts, in the back, but not much else, in terms of fruits. The second nose is more welcoming, with cocoa powder with which to make hot cocoa. You know? The one in a yellow, corrugated-plastic tub. Mouth: mellow, juicy, this is full of plums and prunes, for a second. Then, a robust spiciness rises in the form of red-chilli powder. Chewing unleashes melted chocolate (45% cocoa content at most) that actually matches the intensity of the chilli. We have plain crackers slathered in a chocolate spread and augmented with a pinch of red-chilli powder. More-insistent chewing brings back a clearer woody side, but it is less omnipresent and dominant than it was on the first nose. Instead, it is chocolate that rules, now. The second sip is a little more drying than it should be, even if chocolate does most of the talking, thankfully. Maybe we find cherries soaked in chocolate liqueur, now, which is fun. Over time, the palate picks up a remote note of rubber too. Finish: sparkly! Imagine lukewarm chocolate milk blended with cherry-flavoured cola; voilà! The second gulp doubles down on the chocolate-y note. It is still milk chocolate (or chocolate milk, actually), taken with a serving of crunchy dark cherries. The death blows a whisp of wood-oil fumes, which seems the only reminiscence of the bold woody overture. The nose announced something so-so; the rest redeems it. 7/10 (Thanks, Cask Trade)