A Scot on Scotch

WHISKY REVIEWS, NEWS, HISTORY & FOLKLORE

From Mill to Malt

A Scot on Scotch reviews an 8-year-old Deanston Banyuls Cask Single Malt.

The building that houses Deanston Distillery began life as a cotton mill way back in 1785. A large water wheel fed by the fast-flowing River Teith powered the mill. At one time, it was the largest water wheel in Europe. Even today, the distillery relies on the Teith for its power. The hydro-electric plant onsite generates way more than the distillery needs and 75% of the power generated is fed to the National Grid.

Deanston Distillers Ltd, a combination of Brodie Hepburn & Co, James Findlay & Co, and AB Grant, converted the building into a distillery in 1965. They removed three floors from the mill in order to make room for the pot stills and mashtun. Then they constructed a new building to house the washbacks.

The distillery released its first single malt a short time later, under the name of Old Bannockburn. However, blended Scotch brands, like the owner’s own Teith mill, accounted for the vast majority of spirit produced.

Changing Hands

Like many distilleries, the ownership of Deanston changed hands several times. Burn Stewart took over in the 1990s, a move which brought the distillery together with Tobermory and Bunnahabhain. Burn Stewart was, in turn, acquired by Distell before the South African-based distiller was taken over by Heineken. CVH Spirits, a Heineken off-shoot now runs the distillery.

Deanston’s single malt has grown in stature in recent years. After sailing under the radar for most, it has begun to gain recognition for its distinctive, waxy character. The brand’s insistence on bottling at higher strength likely plays a big role in that popularity. The distillery is also a fantastic place to visit, given how different it looks from the usual Scotch whisky stereotype.

Deanston Banyuls Cask Review

The whisky is 8 years old and finished in a cask that previously held fortified wine from the Banyuls appelation. The wine is made from grapes grown in the Catalan Pyrenees, near the Spanish border. It’s bottled at 55.5% abv.

Tasting notes: The nose is rich and bold – not dissimilar from a sherry cask style. There’s notes of raisins and sultanas. Treacle and figs. There’s a varnish, wood stain like note as well. Dark chocolate and coffee with sweeter touches of caramel and subtle spices. On the palate: Big arrival as the weighty spirit coats the tongue. The waxiness of Deanston carries the big cask flavours really well. There’s dry, woody spices around the side, with sultanas, currants and Golden Syrup. At the back things turn oaky with charcoal, dark chocolate and coffee. I could swear I can taste cola bottle sweets, too – not the fizzy ones mind.

Thoughts: This is a really pleasant dram. I can’t pretend that I know a lot about Banyuls so I wasn’t too sure what to expect but this feels big and bold yet nicely balanced between sweetness, spice and wood. The spice adds a nice layer of warmth without ever feeling like its burning the palate. It’s oily, spicy and intensely flavoured but the caramel sweetness stops it from becoming too dark and woody. Most of all, it is a hugely satisfying sip. Lovely whisky.

Price: £65. I’d have no issue paying the price for this dram. It’s excellent. Notably, it was very popular on a recent online tasting I hosted as well. Great stuff from Deanston.

For more about Deanston visit here

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