Deanston 2006 Oloroso Finish Hand Filled
55.5% ABV - Highlands, Scotland
Nose: Rich dark fruits, dry plums, black cherry, Sherry spices, bits of citrus, chocolate, and, what I’m starting to feel is the Deanston signature: malted barley, honey, and caramel.
Taste: Fruit compote, ripe orchard fruits, Mandarin oranges, and spices. Very rich flavours.
Finish: Fading spices and wine-soaked oak staves.
Purchased on my first trip to Scotland, this 16- or 17-year old expression of Deanston is a rich, dark fruit monster that would probably give some whiskies, like the GlenDronach 21-Year, a run for the money. Perhaps unfair advantage to many other whiskies is that this one is bottled at cask strength.
It was so special to visit the Deanston distillery! We visited in the summer of 2023, and it marked the first Scottish distillery that I visited—both on that trip, and ever! The staff there were so kind. We ate a nice brunch in the adjoined cafe (I highly recommend the haggis eggs benedict) after sampling a few treats like the 18-Year and a high ABV version of the Virgin Oak. There were so many "distillery shop exclusives" that were available to purchase and it was really tough to only pick one! (The staff suggested this 2006 Oloroso Finish would be most similar to one of our favourites: the 2008 Oloroso Cask Matured.)
The entire core range and limited editions were available as the distillery shop too. It delighted me that they were also sold in small, 3cl bottles, as that allowed me to try so many more that I had expected! We were really happy to walk out of that shop with this bottle of Deaston and small bag full of samples (we picked up 7 of those!)
Details: Cask No. 250. Date filled: June 8th, 2023. Filled by: Peter McCrea. Deanston Visitor Centre Exclusive.
Tasted 5 November 2023. (Posted 9 December 2023.)
