We saw this Deanston passing in review quite often lately, so we decided to buy one for one of our tastings. That was a good call!

My shelves are slowly transforming into an underdog refuge. Brands like Deanston, Arran, Tomatin and Tobermory are increasingly finding their way to the collection, alongside lots of independent bottlers. I still enjoy me some drams of the status quo, but to be honest: distilleries like the above are way more exciting. Especially since some over-impulsive buys (or gambles if you will) turn out quite well. And some don’t, but at least they won’t break the bank.

And a good buy it was, this young red wine cask matured Deanston (58.7% ABV). With red wine casks it’s difficult to get the whisky just right, but Deanston nailed it with this one:

Not to discredit Aberlour, but A’bunadh crossed my mind more than once. For around €50,- this is a solid alternative for their young cask strength sherrybomb which goes for €80,- lately.