I picked up a bottle of this in Ho Chi Minh City in March, on a whim I guess. It cost around £50 GBP. I didn’t open it until I returned to the UK and was very pleasantly surprised when I tried it, genuinely tasty and very fruity! I agree with your comments and your overall evaluation. One of the best Deanston expressions I’ve tried. I like it!
I love this stuff. I've bought it on offer in 2020 for 38 EUR and it's impressed me with the journey it put my palate on. More than fair score for it, I think I gave it an 88 on Whiskeybase.
Same, but it’s almost €60 these days :( . Easily available online though Sometimes I find it on sale for 45, its an instant buy Deanston did a cs 9yo version years ago. If you like this, try to find that one. I got mine for €80 from a belgian shop, really like it
Hah Nice one! I actually didn't see this coming, but I have to admit I got curious after this review ! Thanks for the recommendation Geoff! Cheers Buddy 🥃🥃😎
My socks absolutely stay on with Deanston! lol! It’s worth trying but I can’t say that Deanston does a lot for me! Love and appreciate your thoughts Geoff! Cheers!🥂
I will try and get a bottle! Hey have you had the Loch Lomond 12? If so is it smoky at all? I have never seen it at the BC Liquor Distribution Store and noticed it recently as a new selection. Any good? Cheers Geoff!!
@@christinecamley I have tried LL12, and it is not very smoky. Yes, peat is involved but it's quite subtle and in the earthy/campfire direction which some say is Highland rather than Islay style. LL's peat I'm pretty sure is Highland-sourced rather than Islay. I don't know the ppm but in terms of subtle peat impact it's closer to Highland Park levels than Benromach, Longrow Peated or Caol Ila. It is a "characterful" whisky in the sense that there are some industrial LL notes--workshop/oily etc. Not the same as e.g. Campbeltown or Benromach, and less markedly so, but still interesting/distinctive and for me far from unpleasant. In my market it's one of the cheapest 46%abv 12yos (one still has to shop around, though) and represents excellent value because of those "nice" industrial qualities that I enjoy. Early on (not neck-pour but maybe pour #3-4) I did encounter some off-putting industrial/chemical aromas, but they did clear up with further air/time. I got something similar in pour #2-3 of Tomatin Cask Strength but again it also cleared up and I now enjoy that whisky a lot. Not the same as petrol/kerosine (those can even be "nice"), but in a similar industrial-chemical sense. Why tell you all that? Because I'm saying it's something you might encounter and dislike, but I'm recommending that you be patient and persist with those whiskies, as such should be fairly short-lived/passing aromas. Leave the bottle and come back to it later. There are plenty of reviews on whiskybase that dismiss LL12 because of such unpleasant industrial notes, and I'm saying you might strike such but that they also should pass/not persist. I haven't tried LL12 from "years past" when such unpleasant notes may well have been more prevalent/troubling. The LL12 I have open is a 2021 bottling. Note that LL keep changing their labels quite often/regularly. In terms of the LL "standard" range I would direct people towards Inchmurrin 12 because of its joyous fruitiness. Not complex but very enjoyable and not boring/plain. LL 14 is an excellent whisky with considerably greater depth of flavours, but also tends to be quite heavily wood-influenced on the finish. I wish it were less-so. If it were a wine I would call it "planky" (sawmill). See Phil @WhiskyWednesday for a good review of LL14--he didn't find it planky. LL The Open Special Edition 2021 (nas) is also deliciously fruity and vivacious along similar lines to the Inchmurrin, but is sadly now all sold out here. dramface reviewed 2020, 2021, & 2022 of those Special Editions and is worth reading as they're each different and not all equal. Because of that review I haven't tried the 2022 and probably won't bother, but that's also because I do have the 2021. I have tried LL Inchmoan 12--which is the "peatiest" of their three standard 12s though still not "heavily peated"--but it was only a small shop pour and followed something else that made any comparison/context awkward/unfair so I'm not in a position to fairly say either way. LL often follow a recipe of 3 types of American oak casks: ex-bourbon first fill, refill/older ex-bourbon, and shaved toasted recharred (str, i.e. reconstituted) ex-bourbon casks. But they do still experiment so e.g. the 14 has a finish in Limousin French oak casks. I don't say they never use ex-sherry/sherry-seasoned casks, but such seem uncommon for them. LL are also doing interesting experiments using Chardonnay wine yeasts that result in very lifted aromatics and spritzig-like (less fizzy than fizzy drinks, but still a wee bit fizzy) liveliness in the whiskies. Unfortunately those are only small batches and so not worldwide availability. Again see dramface, Aqvavite vPubs, and other reviews. Those are distillate- rather than cask-driven styles, and I think should be further encouraged for LL at least.
I love this one and it's become my daily sipper 😄. I got it through a retailer here in Cyprus for 40 Euros and I've bought a good number of bottles because it seems to be discontinued (limited supply and I think it's not available at the distillery).
This sounds lovely and I love Deanston 12, so I'd definitely go for one of these, were it to become available in my country. I'm currently very much enjoying Cotswolds founders reserve, which I believe is wine cask matured and extremely fruity, so this one might be for me as well.
Glad you like it Geoff, I was wondering what your take would be. I hosted a Deanston tasting to my whisky club recently where the lineup was Kentucky Cask, 12, Virgin Oak, 15 Tequila, 18 and the 10 Bordeaux and this one came out on top. Interestingly, not a lot of people connected with the Deanston profile and this one being the least Deanston won 😅 Cheers dude, glad you enjoyed it 🥃
Funny I had a side-by-side that involved this, the 12, and the 18 among my friends as well. Like you guys we had the 10 Bordeaux on top! Cheers buddy! 🥃
Hello Geoff, if you want something without „Socks on" try the Previous Version of that Bordeaux which was matured in Boudeaux Cask and came at Cask Strength. Or try the 10yo PX Cask Strength Version in the grey Packaging. But the very most i liked the 20yo Sherry also at Cask Strength. A little Sulfury but when you give it Time in the Glass it will turn around completely and opens up to a really wonderful Sherry Bomb. Or try the 17yo Pinot Noir Finish if you have the Chance to. Complex and not too sweet. The 46,3 % Expressions are really predictable as you said, but their CS Versions rock.😎🤘 Thanks for sharing your Thoughts and Opinion about this one. Greetings from Germany 😎🤘
That's a lot to add to the wishlist. Appreciate the suggestions. Wouldn't mind delving deeper into their cask-forward stuff, and if it's CS, all the better. Cheers! 🥃
Okay it sounds worth the price! I probably won’t be able to find it so it’s moot! No worries! I am loving my Laphroaig 10 Edition 16, my delicious Lagavulin 11 OffermanEdition 4 - sublime!! and various other singe malt Scotch whiskies! Oh!!! Geoff!! I got to try the AnOa finally Ardbeg fan girl here!! It was lovely! Definitely a big elevation from the Ten but only $10 more. I got it during a provincial BC Liquor Distribution Branch special release. That’s where I got. My Lagavulin 10 16th Edition - is it Edition? Thinking I have the wrong term! Cask strength! Delicious! I am not a Tequila fan but for people who are I hear the Writer’s Tears Tequila cask finish is lovely but I think I will pass. Not. A huge Irish Whiskey fan overall. Hope you are well! Cheers!
Hi Geoff, nice review. What is your opinion when you compare this one to the Ledaig Red wine cask? Curious cause Ledaig and Deanston are in the same "company". As you reviewed both, I would like to know if they can be compared in anyway....
Hi Jeff I'm sad to hear you kinda put deanston on the back burner, I'm a deanston fan boy, and if you want a deanston that will knock your socks off, then you should buy a bottle of deanston organic oloroso cask finish, 2002,it's around $350.00 if you can find it, the original price was about $120.00, but it was so good it sold out all over the world, love your video on deanston, will try to pick up a bottle somewhere if I can, cheers brother and keep up the great reviews !!!!
Always articulate, interesting. Appreciate the review of a more affordable bottle. For me, the less sweet the better. I wonder how long it takes you to go through a bottle?
I drink mostly with friends, usually just once a week. There are a lot of bottles that I sell off to people and the ones I keep typically last at least a year, sometimes more. Cheers! 🥃
Did you have the Deanston 2008 Bordeaux red wine cask 9yr that was cask strength and full maturation in the red wine casks? It was in a different league from this one. It is thought by some of us that those casks were then used for the finishing of this bottling? Cheers
A lot of these so-called Travel Retail bottlings can be bought from local retailers. I picked up a bottle of this for EUR 35. I haven’t opened it yet. Though I have the Deanston 9 years 2008 Bordeaux Red Wine Cask Matured 58,7% open since 2018 and still in my cabinet. I found it a bit too hot and slightly unbalanced when I popped it and even at 2/3 level. Maybe I should revisit it, because it might have mellowed out by now after some years of oxygen in the bottle.
Just found your channel a couple of days ago. I was wondering if you have a video on the best scotch at different price points 100 dollars 200 dollars 300 dollars ect. Ect...
I wasn't even vowed by the 18y and I'm not too keen on red wine finishes - with the exception of the Ledaig Rioja cask, which is also a Distell product, so now I'm intrigued again. And: compliments Geoff, you really practiced the pronunciation of "Bordeaux."
I’ve often said (to myself, as I’m Danish and culturally unable to be rude) that Deanston needs to get slapped around a bit. If red wine is how we get it, bring on the weird casks!
“Look at me, I’m from Canada, I think I know how to pronounce French names the correct way. But I only end up saying something laughable at best”. Just say “bore-dough” like the rest of us. Lol, just messing with you.
@@Gwhisky Lol, my bad, I was just ribbing you. I actually admire people who make the effort to pronounce things the correct way in the words native language. As a Texan with a strong southern twang, who can speak Spanish, it’s always funny the way I speak Spanish with the strongest American accent you could have, lol. I’ve been living in Uganda now for 5 years and have been learning the native language of Luganda. And hearing me speak that is even more laughable, lol. I can learn a language, I just have trouble speaking the correct dialect. I just feel like I sound weird or fake when I try to make the words sound correct, or like the native accent. So it stops me from even trying to. So I just end up sounding like the most unaware American. Oh well. But yeah, nothing wrong with saying the word correctly, it’s respectful to the native speakers. So don’t mind me, I just thought it was funny to talk a little shite.
@@Gwhisky Thanks man. Yeah, it’s very difficult. Another difficult thing here is the whisky can be very limited. Mostly just Diagio’s Finest. But if you really hunt through the fine dinning restaurants in the capital, you can find some small bottle shops with some really nice finds. Keeps it fun.
“Socks stay on” 😂
I picked up a bottle of this in Ho Chi Minh City in March, on a whim I guess. It cost around £50 GBP. I didn’t open it until I returned to the UK and was very pleasantly surprised when I tried it, genuinely tasty and very fruity! I agree with your comments and your overall evaluation. One of the best Deanston expressions I’ve tried. I like it!
I love this stuff. I've bought it on offer in 2020 for 38 EUR and it's impressed me with the journey it put my palate on. More than fair score for it, I think I gave it an 88 on Whiskeybase.
Same, but it’s almost €60 these days :( . Easily available online though
Sometimes I find it on sale for 45, its an instant buy
Deanston did a cs 9yo version years ago. If you like this, try to find that one. I got mine for €80 from a belgian shop, really like it
One of the deanston review iam looking for
Hah
Nice one!
I actually didn't see this coming, but I have to admit I got curious after this review !
Thanks for the recommendation Geoff!
Cheers Buddy 🥃🥃😎
Hah well tbh neither did I. Great whisky especially for the price. I think you'd like it if you're in the mood for something cask-forward. 🥃
On point as always as I’ve just opened this one myself. I’m on my holidays and a drop of water does it a lot of favours
Yes water does help open it! 🥃
am i on the right channel
i was looking for a guy that offered his thoughts and opinions on a specific whisky
Nah that's some other guy. 🥃
My socks absolutely stay on with Deanston! lol! It’s worth trying but I can’t say that Deanston does a lot for me! Love and appreciate your thoughts Geoff! Cheers!🥂
Thanks Christine. Yeah it's hardly a favourite but they can put out a goodie once in a while. Cheers! 🥃
I will try and get a bottle! Hey have you had the Loch Lomond 12? If so is it smoky at all? I have never seen it at the BC Liquor Distribution Store and noticed it recently as a new selection. Any good? Cheers Geoff!!
@@christinecamley I have tried LL12, and it is not very smoky. Yes, peat is involved but it's quite subtle and in the earthy/campfire direction which some say is Highland rather than Islay style. LL's peat I'm pretty sure is Highland-sourced rather than Islay. I don't know the ppm but in terms of subtle peat impact it's closer to Highland Park levels than Benromach, Longrow Peated or Caol Ila. It is a "characterful" whisky in the sense that there are some industrial LL notes--workshop/oily etc. Not the same as e.g. Campbeltown or Benromach, and less markedly so, but still interesting/distinctive and for me far from unpleasant. In my market it's one of the cheapest 46%abv 12yos (one still has to shop around, though) and represents excellent value because of those "nice" industrial qualities that I enjoy.
Early on (not neck-pour but maybe pour #3-4) I did encounter some off-putting industrial/chemical aromas, but they did clear up with further air/time. I got something similar in pour #2-3 of Tomatin Cask Strength but again it also cleared up and I now enjoy that whisky a lot. Not the same as petrol/kerosine (those can even be "nice"), but in a similar industrial-chemical sense. Why tell you all that? Because I'm saying it's something you might encounter and dislike, but I'm recommending that you be patient and persist with those whiskies, as such should be fairly short-lived/passing aromas. Leave the bottle and come back to it later. There are plenty of reviews on whiskybase that dismiss LL12 because of such unpleasant industrial notes, and I'm saying you might strike such but that they also should pass/not persist. I haven't tried LL12 from "years past" when such unpleasant notes may well have been more prevalent/troubling. The LL12 I have open is a 2021 bottling. Note that LL keep changing their labels quite often/regularly.
In terms of the LL "standard" range I would direct people towards Inchmurrin 12 because of its joyous fruitiness. Not complex but very enjoyable and not boring/plain. LL 14 is an excellent whisky with considerably greater depth of flavours, but also tends to be quite heavily wood-influenced on the finish. I wish it were less-so. If it were a wine I would call it "planky" (sawmill). See Phil @WhiskyWednesday for a good review of LL14--he didn't find it planky. LL The Open Special Edition 2021 (nas) is also deliciously fruity and vivacious along similar lines to the Inchmurrin, but is sadly now all sold out here. dramface reviewed 2020, 2021, & 2022 of those Special Editions and is worth reading as they're each different and not all equal. Because of that review I haven't tried the 2022 and probably won't bother, but that's also because I do have the 2021.
I have tried LL Inchmoan 12--which is the "peatiest" of their three standard 12s though still not "heavily peated"--but it was only a small shop pour and followed something else that made any comparison/context awkward/unfair so I'm not in a position to fairly say either way.
LL often follow a recipe of 3 types of American oak casks: ex-bourbon first fill, refill/older ex-bourbon, and shaved toasted recharred (str, i.e. reconstituted) ex-bourbon casks. But they do still experiment so e.g. the 14 has a finish in Limousin French oak casks. I don't say they never use ex-sherry/sherry-seasoned casks, but such seem uncommon for them.
LL are also doing interesting experiments using Chardonnay wine yeasts that result in very lifted aromatics and spritzig-like (less fizzy than fizzy drinks, but still a wee bit fizzy) liveliness in the whiskies. Unfortunately those are only small batches and so not worldwide availability. Again see dramface, Aqvavite vPubs, and other reviews. Those are distillate- rather than cask-driven styles, and I think should be further encouraged for LL at least.
@@Gwhisky I will keep an eye out for this Deanston Geoff. My husband said tonight he can't remember much about any Deanston! That says a lot. 🙂
I've got the deanston 12 oloroso cask on my wishlist. This looks good as well. 👌🏾🥃
Anybody try that one yet? It's been on the shelf for a year at $105 US and that seems like a lot
It is delicious! One of the few bottles I've bought more than once. @@jackthepickledhound
The hand movement when you exhale 😂
I love this one and it's become my daily sipper 😄.
I got it through a retailer here in Cyprus for 40 Euros and I've bought a good number of bottles because it seems to be discontinued (limited supply and I think it's not available at the distillery).
I picked up the last bottle in Manchester airport a couple of months back. Such an easy sipper with really nice finish.
Each and every video you publish is an insta-view for me - no matter the time of day :-)
You're a legend. Thanks for the support! 🙏🥃
This sounds lovely and I love Deanston 12, so I'd definitely go for one of these, were it to become available in my country. I'm currently very much enjoying Cotswolds founders reserve, which I believe is wine cask matured and extremely fruity, so this one might be for me as well.
Glad you like it Geoff, I was wondering what your take would be. I hosted a Deanston tasting to my whisky club recently where the lineup was Kentucky Cask, 12, Virgin Oak, 15 Tequila, 18 and the 10 Bordeaux and this one came out on top. Interestingly, not a lot of people connected with the Deanston profile and this one being the least Deanston won 😅 Cheers dude, glad you enjoyed it 🥃
Funny I had a side-by-side that involved this, the 12, and the 18 among my friends as well. Like you guys we had the 10 Bordeaux on top! Cheers buddy! 🥃
This one is a favorite for good value here in Brazil. I always have a bottle opened, and it's one of my picks to take to a barbecue and share. Cheers!
I had a bottle... wasn't too excited about it tbh. It went fast though, but mostly because I didn't really care it was ending. It's fine enough.
Hello Geoff,
if you want something without „Socks on" try the Previous Version of that Bordeaux which was matured in Boudeaux Cask and came at Cask Strength.
Or try the 10yo PX Cask Strength Version in the grey Packaging.
But the very most i liked the 20yo Sherry also at Cask Strength. A little Sulfury but when you give it Time in the Glass it will turn around completely and opens up to a really wonderful Sherry Bomb.
Or try the 17yo Pinot Noir Finish if you have the Chance to. Complex and not too sweet.
The 46,3 % Expressions are really predictable as you said, but their CS Versions rock.😎🤘
Thanks for sharing your Thoughts and Opinion about this one.
Greetings from Germany 😎🤘
That's a lot to add to the wishlist. Appreciate the suggestions. Wouldn't mind delving deeper into their cask-forward stuff, and if it's CS, all the better. Cheers! 🥃
Long time….It is really good. On pair, if not even better than the original Cask strength Deanston 2008 Bordeaux
Yeah been a while buddy. Glad we're on the same page with this one. Cheers! 🥃
Okay it sounds worth the price! I probably won’t be able to find it so it’s moot! No worries! I am loving my Laphroaig 10 Edition 16, my delicious Lagavulin 11 OffermanEdition 4 - sublime!! and various other singe malt Scotch whiskies! Oh!!! Geoff!! I got to try the AnOa finally Ardbeg fan girl here!! It was lovely! Definitely a big elevation from the Ten but only $10 more. I got it during a provincial BC Liquor Distribution Branch special release. That’s where I got. My Lagavulin 10 16th Edition - is it Edition? Thinking I have the wrong term! Cask strength! Delicious! I am not a Tequila fan but for people who are I hear the Writer’s Tears Tequila cask finish is lovely but I think I will pass. Not. A huge Irish Whiskey fan overall. Hope you are well! Cheers!
Hi Geoff, nice review.
What is your opinion when you compare this one to the Ledaig Red wine cask?
Curious cause Ledaig and Deanston are in the same "company".
As you reviewed both, I would like to know if they can be compared in anyway....
I'm holding out for the Chateau Picard finish. Of course, my taste in wine is pedestrian, at best. 🖖
S3 reference. Nice! Really saved the series after the abysmal first two seasons. 😉
Hi Jeff
I'm sad to hear you kinda put deanston on the back burner, I'm a deanston fan boy, and if you want a deanston that will knock your socks off, then you should buy a bottle of deanston organic oloroso cask finish, 2002,it's around $350.00 if you can find it, the original price was about $120.00, but it was so good it sold out all over the world, love your video on deanston, will try to pick up a bottle somewhere if I can, cheers brother and keep up the great reviews !!!!
I'll be on the lookout for that bottle, but I don't think I'll be buying it if it's at $350! Cheers and appreciate the kind words! 🥃
Just killed my bottle, lovely stuff, maybe I even will replace it🤔. My wife bought it at The Bordershop, Puttgarten, Germany. Not available in Sweden.
Always articulate, interesting. Appreciate the review of a more affordable bottle. For me, the less sweet the better.
I wonder how long it takes you to go through a bottle?
I drink mostly with friends, usually just once a week. There are a lot of bottles that I sell off to people and the ones I keep typically last at least a year, sometimes more. Cheers! 🥃
Would love to get it. Ye sometimes I can get travel retail products in my local whisky shop. Thought you liked virgin oak more than 12 one.
I did. But I did a side-by-side a few months ago and I preferred the 12! 🥃
Apologies for typos!
Did you have the Deanston 2008 Bordeaux red wine cask 9yr that was cask strength and full maturation in the red wine casks? It was in a different league from this one. It is thought by some of us that those casks were then used for the finishing of this bottling? Cheers
A lot of these so-called Travel Retail bottlings can be bought from local retailers. I picked up a bottle of this for EUR 35. I haven’t opened it yet. Though I have the Deanston 9 years 2008 Bordeaux Red Wine Cask Matured 58,7% open since 2018 and still in my cabinet. I found it a bit too hot and slightly unbalanced when I popped it and even at 2/3 level. Maybe I should revisit it, because it might have mellowed out by now after some years of oxygen in the bottle.
Just found your channel a couple of days ago. I was wondering if you have a video on the best scotch at different price points 100 dollars 200 dollars 300 dollars ect. Ect...
good value for 31.5 GBP at LHR Duty Free.
2〜3年前 売れ残りの並行品が日本に流れてきてとにかく安かったです。
2年前のマイコスパ大賞でした。
Wow surprised u never really liked deanston 12 I found it great and for the price too!!,
I liked it so much that bought another bottle.
Nice! 🥃
"i dont really like deanston, but the cask smothered this one, so it's good."
Lol kind of? 😂
Kind of isn’t encouraging! 😂
@@Gwhisky you know me by now, i'm only ever half-serious
Haven't tried this. I got the Virgin Oak and think it's rank rotten!
I wasn't even vowed by the 18y and I'm not too keen on red wine finishes - with the exception of the Ledaig Rioja cask, which is also a Distell product, so now I'm intrigued again.
And: compliments Geoff, you really practiced the pronunciation of "Bordeaux."
Yeah, I kept thinking he said Bob Dole. I was like, "What does Bob Dole have to do with this?"
0:59 -- what about other articles of clothing? :)))))
I’ve often said (to myself, as I’m Danish and culturally unable to be rude) that Deanston needs to get slapped around a bit. If red wine is how we get it, bring on the weird casks!
Red wine hey...?
Let's just stick to "thanks for reviewing, Geoff"
Slàinte mhath
Lol 'nuff said, eh? Cheers buddy. 😉🥃
🤐🤐🤐@@Gwhisky
This or Ledaig Rioja?
Ledaig! 🥃
OMG - tried Loch Lomond 12 tonight. No thanks!
Yeah it's super popular, but I never connected with it myself. Once again we find ourselves on the same page! 🥃
@@Gwhisky Great minds think alike!! I am shocked this scotch is so popular! Undrinkable!
.
“Look at me, I’m from Canada, I think I know how to pronounce French names the correct way. But I only end up saying something laughable at best”. Just say “bore-dough” like the rest of us. Lol, just messing with you.
Easily the most devastating comment I've had in a while. 😂
@@Gwhisky Lol, my bad, I was just ribbing you. I actually admire people who make the effort to pronounce things the correct way in the words native language. As a Texan with a strong southern twang, who can speak Spanish, it’s always funny the way I speak Spanish with the strongest American accent you could have, lol. I’ve been living in Uganda now for 5 years and have been learning the native language of Luganda. And hearing me speak that is even more laughable, lol. I can learn a language, I just have trouble speaking the correct dialect. I just feel like I sound weird or fake when I try to make the words sound correct, or like the native accent. So it stops me from even trying to. So I just end up sounding like the most unaware American. Oh well. But yeah, nothing wrong with saying the word correctly, it’s respectful to the native speakers. So don’t mind me, I just thought it was funny to talk a little shite.
@@dus10remi Hah no offence taken at all, man. Uganda? Wow... that can't be an easy language! Hah best of luck with that one! Cheers.
@@Gwhisky Thanks man. Yeah, it’s very difficult. Another difficult thing here is the whisky can be very limited. Mostly just Diagio’s Finest. But if you really hunt through the fine dinning restaurants in the capital, you can find some small bottle shops with some really nice finds. Keeps it fun.