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Whisky Review: Deanston 18-Year-Old Cognac Cask Finished Single Malt

We review Deanston 18-Year-Old Cognac Cask Finished Single Malt, a limited edition release from an under-the-radar Highland distillery.

OVERALL RATING

8
$160.00
  • Margarett Waterbury is a whiskey enthusiast and industry expert.
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Tasting Notes

About:

Appearance:
Buttery chardonnay
Nose:
Quite sweet and honeyed, with warm notes of caramel, alfalfa, and navel orange. After a few minutes in the glass a floral, almost soapy note emerges.
Palate:
This cognac-finished single malt is sweet and candy-like at first—think orange wedges and grape candy washed down with graham crackers, like after school snack. But it starts to show its age in the mid-palate: subtly integrated oak with a slight hint of wet wool. And here’s where things get interesting. Superficially, Deanston is all sweetness and light, but just under the surface, there’s an element of jagged wildness – a hidden salinity, a tantalizing waft of struck match. Like a beauty mark on a model’s face, there’s something that prevents this from becoming cloying. A grippy finish starts with grape lollipops but dries out over time, ending on a nutty note. Richly textured and nicely proofed.
Finish:
Comments:
Friendly without being innocuous, nuanced without being challenging, this is a surprisingly…surprising whisky. I liked this quite a bit more than I expected to. It stands up to quiet contemplation, although the best setting I can think of for a bottle of Deanston 18-Year-Od Cognac Cask Finished Single Malt is a college reunion after party, say, or at the bachelor party of somebody you once knew well. rnrnIt’s fancy enough that it feel very special, but approachable enough that it won’t alienate anybody whose tastes you’re not familiar with. Recommended.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Margarett Waterbury

Margarett Waterbury is the author of "Scotch: A Complete Introduction to Scotland's Whiskies" and a full-time freelance writer and editor specializing in the beverage industry. Her work has graced the pages of numerous publications, including Whisky Advocate, Food and Wine, Spirited Magazine, Artisan Spirit, Edible Seattle, Sip Northwest, Civil Eats, Travel Oregon, and many others. She also boasts editorial experience as the former managing editor of Edible Portland and as a co-founder and former managing editor of The Whiskey Wash. In recognition of her talent, Margarett received the Alan Lodge Young Drinks Writer of the Year award in 2017 and was awarded fellowships for the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers in 2017 and 2019.

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