Deanston distillery was founded in 1965-6 when a cotton mill in Deanston, near Doune, Perthshire, which was originally founded in 1785, was converted into a distillery.

1971 Saw the release of "Old Bannockburn" single malt

Invergordon Distillers purchased Deanston in 1972 and released "Deanston" single malt.

The distillery was mothballed in 1982.

The distillery was bought by Burn Stewart Distillers in 1990 and production restarted in 1991.

CL. Financial bought a share in Burn Stewart in 1999 and then the remaining shares in 2002, although the distillery is still run under "Burn Stewart", a subsidiary of CL. Financial.

Distillery photo with kind permission by Teimei Horiuchi

More great distillery info here thanks to Malt Madness

Deanston (OB)

General whisky characteristics: Malt, nuts

Deanston, (OB), 12y, 46.3% ABV

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Spiegelau

Colour: light gold

Nose: Malt and slight sea air. Subtle hints of pear after a few minutes.

Palate: Lots of tingle on the front middle of the tongue and a flavour of malt and nuts.

With 3 drops of water: The flavour is opened further and improved with initial hints of aniseed over the malt and nuts.

Finish: Medium, but slightly longer and more interesting with the 3 drops of water.

Overall Impression: A rather innocuous dram slightly improved with water, but not exactly a 'great'.

A second tasting the following day

This time I immediately added 6 drops of water to about 3cl of whisky and although the general notes remain the same, this little extra water made for a much smoother palate and longer finish.

Overall Impression: Definitely add water to this one and you won't be disappointed.

Deanston, (OB), 12y, 46.3% ABV

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Reviewed as part of MMA 2011

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Very light

Nose: Leafy and grainy with what I initially thought may be a slight hint of peatiness, but this soon dispersed to leave wood (oak), apple, banana skin and vanilla sauce.

Palate: Smooth and creamy mouth-feel with a burst of galia melon, green apple and vanilla pod, but slightly thin.

Finish: Quite long and creamy with hints of berries

Overall Impression: An enjoyable daily dram

Deanston, (OB), Virgin Oak, 46.3% ABV

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Reviewed as part of MMA 2011

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Pale yellow gold / straw

Nose: Quite leafy with some faint hints of (red) fruit. Then come aromas of what can only be described as "shoe shop" which are quite fresh and almost clinical.

Palate: Lots of that leafiness from the nose reach the palate, but also fruits with apple & pear, although these are joined by a bitter fruitiness - star fruit maybe.

Finish: Long and slightly bitter.

Overall Impression: An interesting whisky with lots of leafiness and slightly bitter fruit. Maybe one for the hip flask on a countryside walk.

D. Laing Old Malt Cask, Deanston,16y, 50% ABV

Refill Hogshead, distilled Dec. 1992, bottled March 2009

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Extremely pale yellow

Nose: Light wood, malt, hints of liquorice and overall lightly fresh.

Palate: Hints of a malty milk drink but with lots of tingle right on the front of the palate.

With 3 drops of water: The palate is much lighter and more aromatic with a hint of nuts coming through the malt.

Finish: Medium to long with aromatic nuts and light malt.

Overall Impression: This is the type of whisky I would love to pair with an Italian-style, perhaps slightly spicy starter in one of my gourmet evenings. On its own it's a good Summer dram, being light, aromatic and quite lively.

A second tasting, a few days later;

The Nose has acquired light hints of rubber along with the sense of liquorice and fresh hay and straw. As for the Palate, I immediately added a few drops of water which induced an intense lemon freshness alongside liquorice whilst remaining smooth with a creamy mouth-feel. An enjoyable dram and probably more so this time than the first.