10/11/2026 Deanston

Deanston 18yo 1994/2012 (57.3%, Cadenhead, Butt): nose: past a brief crisp introduction, it becomes very oily; virgin olive oil, sunflower oil, a drop of walnut oil, orange oil. Cupping the glass to warm up the liquid allows oranges to come out more clearly and, if it never turns into a fruit salad, we certainly enjoy that brighter citrus note which goes almost as far as Triple Sec. This has something remotely musk-y too, too vague and far away to pinpoint. The second nose has a fruity white wine that seems sweet enough to be Maitrank or yellow wine, then it flees back to oily walnuts. There is a fresh nuance as well, leaves that have just fallen off the tree. Mouth: Triple Sec it is, sweet, fruity and oily, the latter two pointing at orange peels. The most-modest chewing rolls out the oily spray from pinched orange peels, but more-vigorous chewing brings about eau-de-vie, warming, a tad bitter and numbing, somewhat reminiscent of a hot baking tin. The second sip is fruity as cider, though not fizzy, and rather oily again. It has a lick of wood (yes, like licking a newish stave), sawdust and those orange peels. Finish: neutral for a second, it adopts a citrus-y, nutty profile as one starts to breathe again. It has a certain bitterness of dead leaves mixed with dried citrus peels, hosed down with Triple Sec to tickle the gums and the roof of the mouth. The second gulp brings back the hot tin (teflon) baking tray, adds orange pith, dried pear peels, dried apple slices and walnut kernels. Pretty good. 7/10